University of Economics and Business, Prague
Master’s Thesis
2021 David Alberto Mejia Perdomo
University of Economics and Business, Prague
Faculty of Business Administration
Masters field: Management
Title of the master’s thesis:
Foreign students' Customer Experience at the MIMG program from the University of
Economics, Prague
Author: David Alberto Mejia Perdomo
Supervisor: Tomaš Ryška
Declaration of Authenticity
I hereby declare that the master’s thesis presented herein is my own work, or fully and specifically acknowledged wherever adapted from other sources. This
work has not been published or submitted elsewhere for the requirement of a degree program.
Prague, May 12, 2021 Signature
Title of the Master’s Thesis:
Foreign students' Customer Experience at the MIMG program from the University of Economics, Prague
Abstract:
The aim of this thesis is to look into the student experience provided to international students at the University of Economics and Business in Prague's Master in Management program as an insider researcher with an outsider perspective taking approach. To achieve this goal, this paper provides an empathetic view of personas developed based on ethnographic interviews conducted with individuals based on their stage on the program's customer journey map, as well as a detailed view of their experience as students. The outcome of this research suggests that the university's lack of a customer experience strategy has had a significant impact on MIMG's perceived level of quality. As a result, in order for the program to be a success in terms of customer experience, the university must develop a strategy that standardizes the quality of customer experience for all local and international students.
Key words:
Higher Education, Customer experience, international student, design thinking, customer journey
Acknowledgments:
First and foremost, I'd like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my colleagues and friends who generously donated their time during the lengthy interview sessions. Aside from my colleagues, I'd like to thank MIMG's Programme coordinator, Petra Boučková, for donating some of her time to conduct a lengthy interview for the sake of this research paper. Also, I'd like to thank the professors, especially my thesis supervisor Tomaš Ryška, who helped me get to this point in my master's studies through their expertise, experience, and guidance.
My sincere gratitude goes to my family and friends back home for their unwavering support throughout my study experience, especially my wife, who was there for me every step of the way. Furthermore, thank you to the true friends I made in this program who stayed by my side even during the most nerve-racking semester.
Table of Contents
Introduction ... 1
1 Overview of Higher Education ... 3
1.1 Definition ... 3
1.2 Importance ... 3
1.3 Current landscape ... 4
1.4 Trends and challenges affecting HE ... 8
1.4.1 COVID-19 ... 8
1.4.2 Varied expectations. ... 8
1.4.3 Digitalization ... 9
1.4.4 Interactions with diverse backgrounds ... 9
1.4.5 Rise in competition ... 10
1.4.6 Care of mental health ... 10
1.4.7 Internationalization ... 11
1.4.8 Student jobs ... 12
1.4.9 HEI will be expected to play an active role in bolstering the economy ... 12
1.5 Higher Education in the Czech Republic ... 13
1.5.1 Status Quo and structure ... 13
1.5.2 Aim ... 14
1.5.3 General Description of the University of Economics ... 15
1.5.4 Master in Management at VŠE ... 16
2 Overview of Customer Experience ... 17
2.1 Definition and scope ... 17
2.2 Importance ... 18
2.3 The Experience Economy model... 20
2.4 Strategic Experiential Modules (SEMS) ... 22
2.5 Customer Experience Design ... 22
2.5.1 Design as theory and practice ... 22
2.5.2 Designing the customer experience ... 24
2.5.3 Journey Mapping ... 26
2.5.4 Ethnography’s role in the CX of education ... 26
2.5.5 Value Proposition Canvas ... 29
2.5.6 CX strategy roadmap ... 29
2.6 Benefactors from Customer Experience ... 30
3 MIMG’s Customer Experience ... 31
3.1 Research approach ... 31
3.1.1 Research Method ... 31
3.1.2 Research Sample... 34
3.2 Research Outcomes ... 35
3.2.1 Understanding MIMG’s Personas ... 35
3.2.2 Overview of the current customer journey ... 39
3.2.3 Students’ customer journey maps ... 56
3.2.4 Value chain analysis ... 63
3.2.5 MIMG’s Value Proposition ... 64
3.3 Discussion ... 65
3.3.1 Findings Summary ... 65
3.3.2 The stages of student’s CX matter ... 66
3.3.3 Response to trends and challenges ... 67
3.3.4 CX design ... 68
3.3.5 Further limitations ... 69
Conclusions... 70
References... 72
Appendix... 86
List of Tables
Table 1: Comparison of common business practices and design approaches ………23
Table 2: The eight-stage roadmap compared with earlier stage models ………30
Table 3: Representation of personas ………..35
Table 4. Summary of the research findings for the 4 research questions ………...65
List of Figures
Figure 1: Learning outcomes for the 21st Century HE ………5Figure 2: The experience process………19
Figure 3: Pine and Gilmore model………..22
Figure 4: The design process and tools………...24
Figure 5: Empathy map of Persona 1 – Marshall (prospective MIMG student) …………36
Figure 6: Empathy map of Persona 2 – Gerardo (Current MIMG student) ………...37
Figure 7: Empathy map of Persona 3 – Andrea (MIMG Alumni) ……….38
Figure 8: Empathy map of Persona 4 – Marcella (current IB student at VŠE) …………..39
Figure 9. Marshall’s assessment of his experience during his customer journey map …...57
Figure 10. Gerardo’s assessment of his experience during his customer journey map…...58
Figure 11. Andrea’s assessment of his experience during his customer journey map …...59
Figure 12. Marcella’s assessment of his experience during his customer journey map ….61 Figure 13. HE value chain (arrows indicate the crititcal linkages) ………...……….63
Figure 14. Unified Value Proposition Canvas………..………...64
List of Abbreviations
CX Customer experience
EX Employee experience
HE Higher education
HEI Higher education institution
IB Master’s in International Business program ISIC International Student Identity Card
MIMG Master’s in Management program MOEYS Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport
VŠE University of Economics and Business, Prague
Introduction
Universities have been playing an important role in societies all over the world for centuries.
This position entails caring for the people who comprise societies, both internally and externally (PWC, 2020). Thus, it is important for the leaders and decision-makers from Higher Education Institutions (HEI) not to lose sight of the impact that Higher Education (HE) plays in the formation of individuals and the roles they will be playing in society.
With trends like globalization and digitalization, the competition in HE market has become increasingly tough (Jeffrey et al., 2011; Ramsden, 2008). According to a study by PWC (2018c), the era when HEI focused their differentiation on pricing and put little focus on a differentiating experience has come to an end. Furthermore, only those institutions that understand the market demands and invest on their strengths after a thorough study of their customers will be able to survive. Universities must make bold decisions about their future strategies as it becomes increasingly true that HEI’s survival depends on the ability to provide students with the best possible experience (Ramsden, 2008). Consequently, HEI are being pushed to concentrate their resources on activities that add value to their customers and other stakeholders (Goldsworthy, 2008).
Moreover, the increasing variety of students from different backgrounds has inevitably increased the range of expectations, making it imperative to further understand their practices, desires and expectations. Grewal, Levy and Kumar (2009) found that traditional business methods are not enough to understand customers. Modern literature suggests the use of customer experience (CX) to promote the development of emotions from the customer to a brand’s product or service (Johnston & Kong, 2011).
With the number of foreign students in the Czech Republic growing every year, going from 46,351 students in 2019 to 50,121students in 2020 despite COVID-19 (MŠMT ČR, n.d.), it’s evident that HE programs in the country will be impacted by diversity trends and challenges. The University of Economics and Business (VŠE) is no exception, especially since announcing that during the pandemic they broke the record for the number of enrolled foreign students (Bradshaw, 2021). A study program with particularly high percentage of
international students is the Master in Management program (MIMG), with international student representing 94% of the class profile.
This thesis aims to scrutinize MIMG through students' experiences, whether positive or negative, in order to better understand the CX of MIMG's international students. It also contributes to the development of a CX design that optimizes the customer journey of students at the program.
To accomplish the aforementioned aims, this thesis is divided into 3 sections. First, familiarizing the reader with HE and its current trends. Secondly, conceptualizing CX and the tools used for its optimization, while highlighting its importance in HE and particularly within international students. The third section of this thesis introduces the methods used and explains the insights gained from the primary information gathered during the ethnographic research done by an inside researcher from an outsider social perspective, which are then used to create a consumer journey map, which is later compared to the secondary data gathered in sections 1 and 2 before drawing conclusions.
This diploma thesis uses a qualitative approach to find answers to the following research questions:
1. What is the current CX strategy employed by VŠE?
2. How is CX monitored at MIMG?
3. What is the current customer journey for MIMG students, and does it end upon graduation?
4. What can be improved from MIMG’s current value proposition?
5. What makes MIMG students recommend the program? And the University?
The decision to research MIMG’s CX is firstly due to the author’s interest in contributing to the improvement of the program as it is still at its development stages. Secondly, the increasing number of international students in the Czech Republic will evidently provoke shifts in demands and expectations, and the understanding and implementation of CX strategies can have a positive impact in the improvement of students’ experiences, which will in turn further promote the arrival of international students to the Czech Republic, VŠE and in particular to MIMG.
1 Overview of Higher Education
1.1 Definition
Higher Education (HE), also known as tertiary education, is more than just a segment of the education system. It alludes to processes with their own coherence and purpose that need to meet certain criteria in order to justify the description of education beyond a certain level.
(Barnett, 1990)
Moreover, HE’s primary objective is to provide students with appropriate professional skills, prepare them for research and lifelong learning, and enable them to contribute to society's growth (Doe, 2017). In addition, education and training of individuals is what promotes individuals to become highly qualified in practical matters. Usually, HE programs are divided into undergraduate programs, master’s programs and doctoral programs.
1.2 Importance
Bouhajeb, Mefteh and Ben Ammar (2018) describe HE as one of the most important factors of economic growth, and what pushes development and growth in the knowledge society.
“The objective of HE is to ensure the continuity and integration of scientific knowledge in the system of education-academia-industry. Academic staff who are the intellectual potential of a country play an important role in this system” (Shebashev, Nizova, Andrianov, Furin,
& Andreeva, 2020, p. 333). This statement links HE to the passing of scientific knowledge and goes as far as portraying the academic staff as ‘the intellectual potential of a country’.
The study itself places a great deal of importance to the academic staff at all levels and in particular those in HE as the authors believe they can play very important roles in guiding a country’s prosperity. Other studies link HE to employability (Lee & Chung, 2015), wages (Berger & Fisher, 2013), health (Behrman & Stacey, 1997) and even adult mortality (Lleras- Muney, 2005). It is no debate that HE can have a positive impact on the lives of individuals.
Furthermore, with the completion of HE programs, students will get recognized with a degree with a value that is usually determined by different factors, such as the university, the program’s accreditations and the different existent rankings. But what is also vital to note
is that this impact will also be reflected in the communities where these individuals will be part of, making room for greater state developments.
1.3 Current landscape
Along with the rest of society, HE is undergoing tremendous change and transformation. HE is more affordable than it has ever been in human history, to more people, in more areas, and in more ways (Gleason, 2018). People from all over the world are constantly seeking to improve their professional profile by becoming students in HEI. According to studies, it is estimated that by the year 2030, there will be a total of approximately 377.4 million students enrolled in HE programs around the world (Calderon, 2018). Consequently, HE has become a large industry with a lot of competition from different institutions that deliver a wide range of programs in various fields.
Hersh, Merrow and Wolfe (2006) found that it is critical to be accepted to universities; it is also critical to receive a diploma; however, what happens in between, what students experience in college, is mostly unknown and untested. This statement implies that there is not enough attention put into what goes on during a study program. In addition, Reeves (2006) describes the four comprehensive learning outcomes for the 21st century HE graduates: cognitive capacity, affective capacity, conative capacity and psychomotor capacity (see figure 1).
Figure 1: Learning outcomes for the 21st Century HE (Own adaptation from Reeves, 2006) Furthermore, people, things, infrastructure, ways of being, communicating, and argumentation, systems, and policies all serve as components of education. Therefore, education is a topic for debate, political exhortation, fictional criticism, and media attention.
Anthropologists, following the “An Inquiry into Modes of Existence” (AIME) mode of thought, consider HE to be a component of the ontological structures that co-exist to explain contemporary modes of existence (Tummons, 2019). In this context, it can be defined that HEI offerings are something much more than just learning and teaching activities.
HEI place a high value on factors such as admission requirements, historical authenticity, and post-graduation employment prospects (PWC, 2018a). However, regardless of how important this goal is, it should not be the primary focus of a HE program, just as economic profit is no longer the primary focus of large enterprises that follow modern management practices. Díaz‐Méndez and Gummesson (2012) point out the importance of the co-creation of value between the university and the students; even outweighing the importance of having a customer relationship with students. This finding implies that students should be regarded not only as customers, but also as collaborators in the process of creating value for the university and its programs. The business-driven mentality of viewing students as mere customers may prevent the university from creating an experience for students in which they
can actually add value to the program, which will benefit not only current students, but also prospective and former students.
Continuing from the previous paragraph's emphasis on the contribution of students to universities, a significant point that HEI must recognize in regard to international students is that they are strangers to the culture when they first arrive in a country. Understanding everything from international students will help HEI provide them with a standardized CX.
Any person living abroad that has to adapt to a new culture suffers from acculturative stress and particularly international students, whose academic performance if affected greatly by this factor, especially during their first 6 months of their freshmen year (Yeh & Inose, 2003).
Furthermore, Yeh and Inose found four main contributors to acculturative stress:
Geographic region. The level of acculturative stress can be correlated to the student’s origin, as studies show that students from Europe show less sign of it than their fellow classmates from other parts of the world. (Yeh & Inose, 2003)
English language fluency. Students with higher level of fluency and those who felt more comfortable talking in English language felt a significant lower level of acculturative stress because they are able to interact with people from a different cultural setting with more ease than those who struggle with their English language level. (Yeh & Inose, 2003)
Social Support Satisfaction and social connectedness. This is also connected to the culture of the individual. E.g., Europeans are taught to be independent, and they learn from a young age to successfully survive on their own, enabling them to face less acculturative stress than people for instance from Latin America, who grow up close to their families and are not used to this type of experience. (Yeh & Inose, 2003)
Due to the great confusion that international students go through when they first arrive to the country where they are going to spend a considerable amount of time studying, in addition to social pressure and other sources of confusion, the first week of their university studies is considered crucial to the extent of determine whether the student will like the program or not. (Lewis, 2020)
Dziewanowska (2017) found that HEIs face many challenges such as budget cutbacks, increasing competition among domestic institutions, a decline in college-age population, quick technological changes and changes in students’ expectations about programs and
degrees. With all the competition surrounding the HE industry, it is imperative for universities to have a deep understanding of what should their programs offer while taking into consideration their main challenges. Marr (2006) points out some of the offers from universities to students focusing mostly on the teaching aspects of a study program and the systems used to evaluate student performance. However, Dziewanowska (2017) argues that the study fails to deliver some of the unique values created in the interaction between the university and its consumers (students). And as Vargo, Maglio and Akaka (2008) point out, CX is co-created by the interactions between customers and the different elements that comprise a product or service. (see section 2 for further details on CX)
HE will encounter a future that is both more daunting than at any other time in the last century and more promising than ever before for creative organizations. In the coming decade, the essence of HE, how it is delivered, and the position of universities in society and the economy will all change dramatically. This transformation will be driven by a confluence of competitive, demographic, and regulatory forces that are only now beginning to emerge.
However, the industry is entering a time of great volatility, and many businesses are not yet prepared to seize opportunities or defend themselves against the forces of change. (PWC, 2018a)
HE will have to change, quickly, in collaboration with governments and industry to be able to current and future trends and challenges (Gleason, 2018). A media based research of these challenges and trends revealed that the following, further discussed in section 1.4, have impacts on HE: Covid-19 (Aucejo, French, Ugalde Araya, & Zafar, 2020), varied expectations (Ramsden, 2008), digitalization (Gleason, 2018; PWC, 2018a), interactions with people from diverse backgrounds (Gurin, Dey, Hurtado, & Gurin, 2002; Jeffrey et al., 2011), new entrants to the market (PWC, 2018a), care for mental health (Eisenberg, Hunt,
& Speer, 2013; Sahu, 2020), internationalization (Brustein, 2007; Hser, 2005; Sharipov, 2020), rise of student jobs (Muluk, 2017) and the increasing role of HE in society (PWC, 2018a).
1.4 Trends and challenges affecting HE
1.4.1 COVID-19
An important contributor to the changes occurred to the world and to HE is COVID-19. The world was shocked in late 2019 by the first cases of COVID-19, leading to full lockdowns in most countries in the year 2020. On February 29, 2020, the Czech Republic announced its first case of COVID-19 (GOV, 2020). The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a Pandemic on March 11, 2020 (Ducharme, 2020), and a day later the Czech Republic announces a state of emergency (GOV, 2020). On March 16, 2020, the government announces the full closure of universities and travel bans and restrictions begin (GOV, 2020).
People’s behaviors have been severely restricted due to the Pandemic (Hale et al., 2020).
The study by Trnka and Lorencova (2020) found that fear, anger and hopelessness were the most common traumatic emotional responses to COVID-19 in the Czech Republic, with mass media playing a big part in the intensification of the mentioned feelings. In addition, the study by Aucejo et al. (2020) implies that the pandemic could have negative impact on student experiences like the delay of graduation dates, and that these negative effects could be mitigated by policy makers which in turn could prevent the widening of achievement gaps in HE.
1.4.2 Varied expectations.
Limited evidence exists to support the idea that students evaluate HE purely on the grounds of high-quality teaching or a means to an end (Ramsden, 2008). With the rise of globalization and study programs bringing together people from all over the world with countless of different backgrounds and beliefs, it is well expected that expectations are just going to become increasingly varied. Every individual expects to get something in return when they purchase a product or service, and a university is no exemption. It is possible that students are even more demanding with their expectations of a study program given all the efforts that require to pay the tuition fees. According to Ramsden (2008), the idea of a single experience in HE or a specific set of expectations has no meaning since every student will have a different experience based on their own preferences and activities. Moreover, there is existing evidence that HE students in general are increasingly interested on high quality services, easily available technology and better infrastructure.
1.4.3 Digitalization
It is no secret that digitalization has been a trend for some years now and its pace is not expected to slow down in the near future, especially since COVID-19 pandemic dramatically hastened it. Digitalization is expected to continue to disrupt every part of the HEI with distance and online learning expected to gain force in the upcoming years. Moreover, the use of digital tools will enable students to manage their own experience and to participate in the co-creation of programs and research. (PWC, 2018a)
Nowadays, it is fairly simple for any citizen to access information (Sparks, Katz, & Beile, 2016). With societies becoming increasingly digital, training students of HE to become proficient in digital literacy becomes essential (Jeffrey et al., 2011). However, it is something that is constantly overlooked and authorities in countries all around the world have already noticed and are trying to implement strategic procedures to make citizens more digitally literate. Moreover, it should be universities who should take the responsibility to incorporate digital literacy in their core when designing or improving programs of HE, and not something that students should already bring with them (Murray & Pérez, 2014). As Gisbert and Esteve (2011) point out, not every student enrolled at a HE program will arrive with the same level of digital literacy; thus, universities must ensure that there are strategies put in place that will aid students in becoming progressively competent in this crucial aspect of their professional formation.
1.4.4 Interactions with diverse backgrounds
Diversity has become one of the most prominent aspects in business culture. Diversity refers to gender, ethnicity, cultural groupings, political views, religious beliefs and sexual lifestyle affiliations. Anthropologists work to uncover and understand all the aspects and effects of human behavior and diversity at an organizational level. (Jordan, 2012)
A study by Gurin et al. (2002) found that informal interaction with diverse peers has a direct correlation with the educational outcomes of different groups of students. Moreover, the study found that diversity should be introduced not only into courses, but it should also be promoted inside and outside the classroom as it is an aspect that will bring individual benefits to students. Furthermore, the increasing number of foreign students in enrolled in HE programs, and the positive impacts found on educational outcomes has prompted institutions
to even appoint high ranked Chief Diversity Officers to handle and promote diversity.
(Jeffrey et al., 2011)
1.4.5 Rise in competition
HEI that are not ready to respond to changes and shifts in demands will fall behind, while student expectations will continue rising and they will choose the program that provides the higher return on investment for them. Moreover, the competition for international students will also continue to rise. Professional placements, also known as Higher Apprenticeships, will continue to rise and will pose as a real threat to traditional HEI. Furthermore, the increasing offer of online HE programs mentioned below can become a real threat if students’ demand for on-site HE programs declines. (PWC, 2018a)
Online Higher Education programs
Online learning seeks to transform education and play an important role in society (Hiltz &
Turoff, 2005). With different platforms offering countless amounts of options of educational programs ranging from free courses to certificate programs to HE programs, it seems impossible to ignore this trend and its role. The biggest disadvantage of online programs is set on the lack of presence in a classroom, making it a challenge to enhance the peer learning, a great competitive advantage of having classes at a university (Broadbent & Poon, 2015).
The success of online HE programs may be dependent on the responsiveness to change and to globalization from the current HEIs (Hiltz & Turoff, 2005). Thus, traditional HE programs have the opportunity to exploit their online tools to be able to deal with the competition from fully online HE programs.
1.4.6 Care of mental health
A study by Eisenberg et al. (2013) found that problems with mental health in U.S.
universities varied substantially across campuses and they were associated with sex, race/ethnicity, religiosity, relationship status, living on campus and financial situation.
Especially with COVID-19, which has disrupted the lives of people across the world affecting their mental health due to the increased uncertainty and anxiety. It is important for universities all over the world to tackle this issue with the seriousness it deserves; moreover,
universities should be responsible of sending out regular information through emails and university intranet and providing proper counseling services both to students and teachers to ensure their well-being and mental health. (Sahu, 2020)
1.4.7 Internationalization
Internationalization of HE is a response to various changes in economic life and society, in other words, it’s a response to globalization. Moreover, the formation of global competences is now considered a value which modern HEIs have adopted to their cores (Brustein, 2007).
In addition, Hser (2005) found that universities have now realized that the adoption of internationalization strategies ensures the flow of revenue by attracting more students and providing them with new experiences.
The importance of internationalization in HE is described below:
“No matter what definitions or approaches are prescribed to the HE internationalization, in the future, it will always be the case that only the universities that are able to respond and adapt quickly to the ongoing changes in society and in HE will hold the leading places in the world market of educational services.” (Sharipov, 2020, p. 136)
The preceding quote emphasizes the critical importance of universities implementing internationalization strategies in order to succeed in today's highly competitive HE market.
Transnational higher education
Transnational HE refers to education received by a student in a country different to the one where the awarding institution is based (UNESCO, 2001). This trend dates back to as early as the 12th century, so, it is hard to even consider it a trend, however, students nowadays keep increasingly demanding international mobility (Heffernan, Wilkins, & Butt, 2018;
Richardson & McKenna, 2003). The trend has become so strong in recent years that universities are starting to integrate transnational HE strategies into their missions (HEGlobal, 2016).
Moreover, partnerships in transnational HE have a great impact on student trust and university reputation. Thus, it is important that when a university decides to partner with
another university to provide transnational HE options to students they take into consideration the partner’s reputation and the trust that students have in them. How a student identifies a partner institution will in turn have an effect on the student satisfaction.
(Heffernan et al., 2018) 1.4.8 Student jobs
According to research, university students' jobs have been on the rise over the last decade due to economic factors. (Muluk, 2017).
It is important to understand the impact that a job may have on students. A study by Strauss and Volkwein (2002) found a positive correlation between working hours and a student's academic success, implying that they applied the same work ethic to their studies as they did to their jobs. On the other hand, Nonis and Hudson (2006) discovered that the amount of time that students spend working has no direct effect on their grade point averages. On the downside, students working part-time jobs have been found to fail to deliver homework, attain lower grades and are more likely to drop out (Papanek, 1972). According to Cheng (1995), students working more than 20 hours per week have an even larger dropout rate (33% vs 16% from students working less than 20 hours weekly). Part-time jobs will not only have an impact on the academic achievements, but it will also have an impact on the students’ stress levels (Muluk, 2017).
The existing research presented in the previous paragraph about employed students of HE seems to present positive and negative effects that should both be considered by HE institutions. With research indicating that students' academic performance is unaffected by their employment, it can be concluded that universities should allow students to find jobs for economic reasons.
1.4.9 HEI will be expected to play an active role in bolstering the economy
As discussed in Section 1.2, universities are already expected to play a significant role in society and on economic growth. Moreover, a study by PWC (2018a) found that it is expected that national research priorities will shape universities and their focus areas, meaning that the expected outlook from university research will be determined by the national priorities. In a globally competitive and knowledge-intensive world, businesses will
increasingly turn to HEIs to collaborate with them in order to continue to innovate. In other words, the outcome from HEIs is expected to be heavily influenced both by businesses and by states. In addition, frameworks for evaluating universities may look to assess the impact of research on the economy, society, public policy, culture, and quality of life. As a result, it is important that universities consider all of these aspects when developing and enhancing their educational programs.
1.5 Higher Education in the Czech Republic
1.5.1 Status Quo and structure
The Czech education system is divided into pre-primary education, compulsory education for children with ages typically from 6 to 15, secondary education with different levels and variations and finally tertiary education, also known as HE. (Greger & Walterová, 2018) Czech HE can be traced back to the 14th century, when the Charles University, Central Europe's oldest university, was established (“Higher Education System in the Czech Republic - Live & Study - Czech Universities”, 2019). Currently there are 20 public, 40 private and 2 state HEI in the country following the Bologna Declaration (Greger &
Walterová, 2018). This declaration is a series of agreements between European countries that seek to ensure the quality and standards of HE in the region, among these agreements is the establishment of the three-level structure of HE: Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral studies (Reinalda, Kulesza, Klingemann, & Verlag, 2006).
Moreover, every study program offered in the country must be accredited by the Accreditation Commission of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS). This institution is also in charge of formulating the programs’ frameworks, policy documents and allocating funds to regional authorities. (Reinalda et al., 2006)
It's worth noting that citizens of EU member states can attend institutions in the Czech Republic under the same conditions as Czech citizens, which means they don't have to meet any special criteria to study in the country (Reinalda et al., 2006). Non-EU citizens, also known as third-country nationals, must request an application for a visa for a stay of more than 90 days, that must be approved by the Ministry of Interior; once approved, the visa is granted for a period of no more than one year (“Ministry of the interior of the Czech
Republic”, 2021). Thus, if a non-EU citizen's study program lasts more than a year, they must renew their student visas every time it expires. These factors distinguish the student experience for foreign students from EU countries and third-country nationals, the latter of whom must complete additional steps in order to remain legally in the country while completing their studies.
1.5.2 Aim
Greger and Walterová (2018) highlight that the primary goal of education in the former Czechoslovakia, which was overseen by a single central political and ideological leadership, was to prepare children and young people for life and work in a developed socialist society as well as for the protection of the socialist homeland. However, after 1989, the country started shifting the aim of education towards an approach where the human is seen as a person and his or her relation to society and the natural order (“MoEYS, 2001). This approach goes in line with how Fried (2007) relates the value of education on the development of individuals within a society. Thus, education should aim to develop a person’s individual qualities, while also developing their functions in service of the society they interact with.
According to “Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports – MoEYS” (2001) the aim of education should be:
• to develop human individuality by an approach that recognizes the importance of cognitive, psychomotoric and affective cultivation
• to preserve cultural heritage, establish national identity, and move culture in a historic manner
• to safeguard the living environment and society's long-term development
• to promote societal cohesion
• to educate for alliances, collaboration, and solidarity in European and global society
• to boost economic competitiveness, social stability, and employability
What is important to highlight for the purpose of this paper from the aim taken by Czech authorities is that they stress the education of “European and global society,” without making their aim exclusive for Czech society or Czech students. As a result, it is critical that
educational programs are structured in such a way that students, regardless of their origins or potential destinations, have equal opportunities for development. To achieve this, the student experience during the program should be structured in such a way that international students have the same opportunities as Czech students, eliminating as many barriers as possible that could alter the expected outcome of a study program.
1.5.3 General Description of the University of Economics
The University of Economics and Business (VŠE), established in 1953, is the Czech Republic's largest public university in the field of economics and business, with about 14,000 students from over 66 countries enrolled in bachelor's, master's, PhD, and MBA programs as of October 2020. The university’s website highlights 9 reasons why a prospective student should choose VŠE for their HE studies (“Prague University of Economics and Business”, n.d.):
1. The size of the university
2. Its venue, with Prague being one of the world's most beautiful and secure cities.
3. The university boasts about its international environment due to its great student diversity who either enrolled to a full-time program or decided to take an exchange program at the university
4. VŠE has been accredited with the EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS), European Foundation for Management Development Programme Accreditation Scheme (EPAS), European Master in Official Statistics (EMOS), Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation (FIBAA), Czech Association of MBA Schools (CAMBAS) and Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). All of these accreditations help build a positive reputation for the university and gain competitive advantage in the local and international HE market.
5. The possibility of spending a semester abroad at one of their more than 250 partner universities.
6. The dorms have enough capacity to accommodate all the incoming international students.
7. Its vast offer of programs
8. The university claims to have modern sports facilities in their campus and in the dormitory buildings.
9. Its offer of different student organizations and activities.
1.5.4 Master in Management at VŠE
The Master’s in Management (MIMG), held at the department of Business Administration (FBA), at the University of Economics and Business, Prague (VŠE) is a 2-year degree, following the Bologna Process (120 ECTS). The MIMG program is structured to train analytically and socially conscious business practitioners with a broad economic understanding and an emphasis on business performance management. (“Master in Management”, n.d.)
MIMG describes its students as analytical thinkers interested in the business environment and in particular the management and building of companies. Moreover, MIMG students get to choose between two minor specializations according to their own preference: Marketing or NextGen Consulting. At the mid-management stage, graduates are anticipated to play a role in the execution of economic and managerial functions. (“Master in Management”, n.d.) Additionally, students at MIMG are also granted the option to spend one semester abroad or to obtain a double degree in cooperation with one of the three available options: NEOMA in France, Hanyang University in Seoul, or Plekhanov University in Moscow. (“Master in Management”, n.d.)
MIMG class profile is composed by 94% international students from 17 different nationalities with an average of 24 years of age. Moreover, MIMG’s website highlights 5 main points as to why choose to enroll in the program (“Master in Management”, n.d.):
1. Its modern teaching methods composed of critical thinking, case studies, simulations and team projects.
2. FBA’s European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) accreditation, which makes the faculty rank among the top 1% of business schools in the world.
3. Its offer of double degree in cooperation with French , South Korean or Russian universities.
4. The multicultural environment with students from 17 nationalities.
5. Its team-building activities and ability for discussion directly with the program’s management.
2 Overview of Customer Experience
2.1 Definition and scope
A customer is someone who receives goods or services from a company; customers may be internal or external to the company, and they are the backbone of every business (Fogli &
Salas, 2006). Meyer and Schwager (2007) go on to say that CX encompasses all of a company's products, including customer service efficiency, advertisement, packaging, product and service functionality, ease of use and dependability. Additionally, literature suggests that businesses should go beyond satisfying customers’ needs by deeply understanding their emotions and being able to exceed their expectations; creating memorable experiences that enable the emotional attachment between the customer and the product or service (Grewal et al., 2009; Holbrook & Hirschman, 1982; Keiningham et al., 2017; Pine & Gilmore, 1998).
According to KPMG (2019), working towards a better employee experience (EX) is critical to a good CX. Furthermore, an employer that demonstrates their concern for their workers promotes good working conditions, and strong CX stems from good work, and good work represents favorable circumstances and motivation. In conclusion, improving EX is crucial to have a better CX. A study by Oswald, Proto and Sgroi (2015) found that employees with a greater level of happiness are 12 percent more productive, while a report by PWC (2018b) discovered that 70 percent of customers found helpful employees to be crucial in their interactions with a brand. E.g., the study by KPMG (2019) emphasizes the value of EX by citing the example of Manufaktura, which was ranked 7th in KPMG's Top 100 Customer Experiences in the Czech Republic report, and whose sales force spends a significant amount of time on trainings that are then applied to customers naturally.
According to PWC (2018b), an improved CX requires the right culture, creative ways of working, motivated talent and technology. However, technology alone can not solve the problem of poor customer service. When used correctly, technology will assist businesses in
creating exceptional customer interactions. 82 percent of top-performing businesses say they pay careful attention to the human experience when it comes to digital and technology. This is an effective way of influencing present and future interactions that will create a win-win scenario that is beneficial commercially for the company and satisfactory for the customer.
Businesses need to implement CX management tools that will allow them to create value by better understanding their customers’ needs and prioritizing the emotional connection between the customer and the product or service. Whereas the main focus will be set on the touchpoints or interactions that mean the most for the customers (Grewal et al., 2009; Meyer
& Schwager, 2007). Johnston and Kong (2011) describe this as the customer’s point of view or the outside-in view, where the focus is set upon the customer’s interaction and participation with the organization through the various touchpoints, which end up capturing emotions.
2.2 Importance
Today’s business environment has turned into a highly globalized and competitive market where companies struggle increasingly to come up with successful, long-term business strategies. In this context, the number of businesses with access to the generalized diffusion of technological advancements will keep increasing at a fast pace. As a consequence, offers are becoming more and more homogeneous and standardized, making it harder for businesses that were used to put their focus merely on satisfying their customers with a superior product or a lower price. Moreover, this saturation and commoditization of the products and services offered in the different markets has caused customers to become confused and overwhelmed by the uncountable number of similar products and services offered. With over 25,000 universities around the world, new programs being offered every day and all the resources available on the internet, the HE market is no exception to the previously mentioned context.
However, the abrupt changes are not occurring only in the supply side, but also on the demand side. Customers have evolved into better informed individuals with higher expectations that the traditional methods are no longer enough to understand them (Grewal et al., 2009). After only one negative experience, one-third of customers (32%) claim they would abandon a brand they love (PWC, 2018b). Moreover, with customers becoming more
proactive and better informed, their demands become harder to understand, pushing companies to find better ways to satisfy their needs. Thus, nowadays businesses have to reinvent themselves in search of new strategies that will enable them to attract and keep customers in an effective and long-term way.
In order to achieve this objective and to gain a new means of competition, researchers suggest the use of CX (Pine & Gilmore, 1998), which in turn will lead to a greater customer satisfaction (Liljander & Strandvik, 1997), improved customer loyalty (Mascarenhas, Kesavan, & Bernacchi, 2006), influence on customer expectations (Flanagan, Johnston, &
Talbot, 2005), trigger the customer’s emotions towards the brand (Pullman & Gross, 2004) and provide competitive advantage (Johnston & Kong, 2011).
The CX involves every interaction with the product or service. In business terms, the CX with a product is as simple as the moments when a customer has direct or indirect contact with the product. However, it seems more complex to understand the CX with a service as this is something intangible. To better understand this, researchers define the service CX as something much more than the interaction between the customer and the company’s staff, it involves every direct or indirect touchpoint that can trigger the slightest emotion (Chase, 1981). Thus, a service’s involved parties come from the operations side and from customer, which together create an experience for both the customer and the company (see figure 2) (Johnston & Clark, 2008), also known as the process of co-creation of value (Vargo et al., 2008).
Figure 2: The experience process (Own adaptation from Johnston & Clark, 2008)
For customers, their CX is something subjective, it is the way they interpret how they feel about how a product or service was delivered and their interaction during the whole customer journey and all the touch points (Johnston & Clark, 2008; Pine & Gilmore, 1998). As a result, a positive or negative CX results in them feeling or developing emotions towards the brand or the service itself (Jain, Aagja, & Bagdare, 2017). Johnston and Kong (2011) argue that the feelings that customers develop from their perception of whether they profited or lost from a CX will result in intentions, but not necessarily actions, to repurchase or not, to recommend to others or not, or to complain or not.
According to a report by PWC (2018a), optimizing CX at universities is important for the sake of education as a company and for individual student outcomes. Dissatisfied students can be damaging for the institution and satisfied students will have a positive influence on the bottom line. With the limitless access to online material, more so due to the pandemic, and industry placements becoming more attractive to students (PWC, 2018c), universities need new ways of differentiation. For a study program from a high education institution to be successful, they must provide more than high quality teaching, they must provide an experience. Nowadays, how is it different to get all the needed knowledge online than it is to enroll at a much more expensive study program at a university? Whatever book students are reading in class, anyone can have access to it online. In addition, there are countless of online options to get certified or uncertified knowledge without the need to enroll at a university.
2.3 The Experience Economy model
Experience is something subjective, making it imminently a personal matter that exists only in an individual’s mind. There are 4 types of CX based on the customer participation, active or passive, and on the relationship between the customer and the activity, immersed or absorbed. Based on this criteria, Figure 3 below illustrates the 4 types of CX (Pine &
Gilmore, 1998):
Entertainment. Experiences evoking entertainment are not applicable only for companies from the entertainment industry like theaters or amusement parks. It is increasingly being applied in different types of businesses to bring a new genre of experience to customers that engages customers in a personal, memorable way (Pine & Gilmore, 1998). In the HE
experiences, the entertainment realm can be applied in different activities that provide this type of experience for students such as onboarding activities or in class dynamics.
Educational. Any type of educational event can be considered within the educational realm.
It’s a type of experience that brings learning into the equation and demands active participation from the customers while keeping them less immersed in the event. (Pine &
Gilmore, 1998) In a HE programs, the educational experience is very important for the final outcome expected from a student. Thus, the experience created for students must promote active learning or allowing the active participation of students throughout the length of their experience.
Escapist. Pine and Gilmore (1998) claim that the immersion of customers in the escapist experiences can be as effective as entertainment experiences in bringing amusement and as effective as educational experiences in learning outcome, as escapist experiences refer to those were the participant actually affects the performances. Thus, the escapist experiences become crucial in the creation of value of HE programs.
Esthetic. “Participants are immersed in an activity or environment, but they themselves have little or no effect on it—like a tourist who merely views the Grand Canyon from its rim or like a visitor to an art gallery” (Pine & Gilmore, 1998, p. 102). In this context, a student will have a very minimal impact on the esthetic experience of an educational institution, but the notable esthetic conditions like the campus’s infrastructure or the lecturer’s presentations cannot be ignored.
Figure 3: Pine and Gilmore model (Own adaptation from Pine & Gilmore, 1998)
The model can serve exceptionally on the creation of a CX for students of HE programs.
Pine and Gilmore (1998) concluded that all four types of experiences described in the model should be used in businesses, finding an equilibrium that will give the most optimal results.
2.4 Strategic Experiential Modules (SEMS)
Every interaction between a customer and a business’s offer will produce a holistic experience that will trigger the customer’s affective experiences (FEEL), sensory experiences (SENSE), creative cognitive experiences (THINK), physical experiences, behaviors and lifestyle (ACT) and social identity (RELATE). Understanding these factors, also known as Strategic Experiential Modules (SEMS), can assist in the creation of different types of CX. (Schmitt, 1999)
2.5 Customer Experience Design
2.5.1 Design as theory and practice
While anthropology’s study of human behavior allows organizations to gain an understanding of their customers, employees and other stakeholders (Jordan, 2012), design
will help them identify alternative strategies and solutions that help create a better future for them (Liedtka & Ogilvie, 2011). Papanek (1972) argued that design is a basic part of all human activity that can help us get to a desired functionality by working with ambiguity and, when used properly, can produce simple or complex ideas that can solve issues and create great value. Moreover, using design in business can help organization bring organic growth and innovation (Liedtka & Ogilvie, 2011).
Design has been naturally compared to the usual business practices taught at business schools. Some of design’s approaches that most noticeably differ from traditional business practices (summarized in Table 1) include: its subjectivity, the search for a ‘better’ answer instead of the ’best’ answer, doing instead of planning, the reliance on emotions, the pursuit for novelty and the iterative movement between abstract and particular. (Liedtka & Ogilvie, 2011)
Table 1: Comparison of common business practices and design approaches (Liedtka &
Ogilvie, 2011)
Liedtka and Ogilvie (2011) claim design is accompanied by three main components:
empathy, invention and iteration. Firstly, it is important to gain thorough understanding of the customer by using tools that permit the extraction of the most vital information of what it is that they value the most, what triggers their emotions. Secondly, for growth to exist, something has to be created in the future that does not exist in the present. It is noteworthy to mention that good inventions are thought from a perspective where no limitations exist.
Lastly, a successful invention needs experimentation, thus, iteration is key for the design process.
2.5.2 Designing the customer experience
Liedtka and Ogilvie (2011) summarize the design process into the 4 questions and 10 tools shown in figure 4, which goes from the unknown to value creation.
Figure 4: The design process and tools (Liedtka & Ogilvie, 2011)
What is?
Liedtka and Ogilvie (2011) argue that when thinking of an innovation it is best to start from the present situation instead of already thinking of the future in order to identify the problem and come up with a solution that might even seem obvious but is not being exploited. In preparation of the assessment of potential value creation, design proposes the use of ethnographic tools like journey mapping, which helps researchers develop deep understandings of customers’ lives and the process they go through, which in turn aids the discovery of crucial touchpoints that can be exploited by the organization’s capabilities.
Moreover, empathy maps, another ethnographic tool, can help further understand customer’s environment, behavior, aspirations and concerns by creating personas out of the research done on them (Ferreira, Silva, Oliveira, & Conte, 2015). Personas can be described as
hypothetical archetype of a real user that spawn a broader understanding of the target market and their interests, preferences and attitudes (Blomquist & Arvola, 2002). A great method to extract this information is through ethnographic interviews, which are further discussed in section 2.5.4 alongside their importance in education.
With this information, an assessment of the organization’s value chain will help uncover the missing capabilities. Lastly, designers use tools like mind mapping or value proposition canvases that will aid in the organization of all the collected information and the conclusion of valuable insights.
What if?
Once the information about the present is properly displayed and documented, designers start looking at the future and proceed to the generation of ideas through proven effective tools like brainstorming. The outcome of the idea generation processes is later conceptualized through the concept developing tool, which assembles innovative elements from collected research and insights into a coherent solution that can be explored and evaluated. (Liedtka & Ogilvie, 2011)
What wows?
Liedtka and Ogilvie (2011) suggest that although it is often difficult to judge the long-term potential of a new concept, all the concepts developed in the previous stage must be carefully evaluated so that those that at first instance might seem promising and turn out to be failures are not promoted, and vice versa. The authors of the book suggest the use of the assumption testing tools to isolate each concept and determine which ideas will be able to drive success.
Once the screening process of the developed concepts is over and all these concepts have been carefully evaluated, designers move on to experimenting in the marketplace with tools like rapid prototyping, which in turn will allow to explore, test and refine new concepts.
What works?
The final stage of this model seeks to launch the concepts to the real world and quickly learn and tweak what is necessary. It’s recommended to start with a certain group of selected customers with the customer co-creation method and later move on to the marketplace with
the learning launch tool which will allow customers to experiment with the concept over a long period of time and the organization to draw further conclusions from the gathered data.
(Liedtka & Ogilvie, 2011) 2.5.3 Journey Mapping
Journey mapping is the graphic representation of customers’ experiences as they interact with the company while receiving products or services, portraying either their ideal journey or their actual journey. It is used during the What is stage of the design process and is the most crucial tool; if the company could only use one design tool, it should be journey mapping. The process helps companies have a better understanding of customers and the process that they go through, capturing their emotional highs and lows and helping the organization walk on the customers shoes. Observation and interviewing are usually the most used instruments to gain insights that lead to the creation of a customer journey. (Liedtka &
Ogilvie, 2011)
The outcome of a journey map should be to find new ways of creating value for customers.
In other words, it seeks to change the way the company understand the current CX, leading to the exploration and identification of new opportunities for improvement that can later yield ideas for future prototyping. (Liedtka & Ogilvie, 2011)
2.5.4 Ethnography’s role in the CX of education
Murdock (1943) described ethnography as a way to understand natives’ point of view, their relation to life and their vision of their world. Furthermore, Spradley (2016) argues that the essential core of ethnography lies in understanding the meaning of actions and events of a group of people. In a business context, ethnographic tools can help firms better understand customers.
Due to globalization, Elliot (2015) proposes the consideration of individuals who live in different places as global citizens, as opposed to what previous sociologists believed that individuals belonged to the society of the countries they lived in. Thus, it seems to become a challenge to use an ethnographic approach to understand international students enrolled in a particular study program due to the vast number of different origins involved. However, Velasco and Diaz de Rada (2006), suggest using ethnographic practices and anthropological
reflection in educational institution research to learn from students' practices, preferences, and expectations, as well as to consider their cultures in the research's reality. In addition, San Fabián (1992) highlights that, given schools’ and universities’ nature of preparing children and young people to properly integrate into a society, it makes education particularly suitable for an ethnographic research. A good example of the use of ethnography in education is the study by Hyatt, Shear and Wright (2015) that examines how the activities of engaged scholars in the field are limited, produced, and reconfigured in relation to new narratives and rationalities associated with neoliberal governance, using ethnographic methodologies such as participant evaluation, qualitative interviews, and reflexive review.
Spradley (2016) found that a very common tool used by ethnographers to learn more about subjects is the ethnographic interview. The use of interviews in social sciences is greatly beneficial when applied in the framework of an ethnographic investigation, and particularly when used with participant observation. Ethnographic interviews seek to place individuals in their natural setting and get them to describe information within a community or context in their own words. The ethnographer usually should indulge in the interviewee’s comfort zone to make the scenario as natural and spontaneous as possible, making the interview seem more like a casual encounter rather than part of a research scheme.
Understanding international students can be a complex issue given that they can come from many different parts of the world. But when narrowing it down to students interested in a particular study program from the same university helps find common ground between them.
With ethnography's purpose of understanding various aspects of customers, it can be a valuable tool for understanding students. An important part of ethnographic work is that the researcher must indulge in the life of the researched individuals in order to grasp a deeper understanding of who are the customer, what they see, what they hear, what they need, what they say, what they do and what they think and feel (Beaud, 2018). Thus, the fact that the author of this thesis is actually enrolled in the same study program as the one being investigated will set a significant precedent for the outcome by acting as an inside researcher.
Reflexive insider research
The researcher's role can range from outsider to insider, from exploring an unfamiliar world and learning its characteristics in depth to serving as a member of the community as well as
an observer (Dwyer & Buckle, 2009). Insider research, as described by Humphrey, (2013), is research performed by individuals who are already participants of the society being investigated as a result of their schooling, jobs, social networks, or political affiliations.
Insiders can benefit from positions of strength, such as knowing what questions to ask participants, relating to current issues, and being less intrusive in the studied context (Bridges, 2001). According to Rosen (2007), conducting research as an insider in an organization or project will potentially provide access to information derived not just from performing the activities of a task, but also from participating in the social ties in which the task is embedded. In an insider research study, the researcher plays a role that involves overlapping tasks and responsibilities between the researcher and the informants. Working as an insider in a team to conduct research may provide access to performative information of practice, but reflexivity is required to express this knowledge.
Reflexivity is a method used in ethnographic research to understand how the researcher's own experience influences the study (Meads, 2007). It is generally described as a continuous inner narrative and self-assessment of the researcher's positionality (Pillow, 2003). De la Cuesta-Benjumea (2011) suggests that researcher's sensitivity and relation to the research is represented by reflexivity. However, the issue is not so much whether to engage in reflective practices as it is to be a reflective researcher. Reflexivity is a human capacity that manifests itself in social situations, which is why it occurs in qualitative research. Furthermore, Geirbo (2018) highlights that being a reflexive insider entails developing working relationships, sharing some of their tasks and responsibilities, and learning to apply their sensemaking.
The downside of insider-research is that investigators may find it challenging to separate their personal experiences from those of the participants (Kanuha, 2000), and they may fail to have a distinct, impartial, and balanced point of view, in contrast to outsider-researchers (Chawla-Duggan, 2007). As a result, researchers must make an effort to participate in reflexive processes, which include internal debate and critical self-evaluation of their own positionality (Stronach, Garratt, Pearce, & Piper, 2007). Collins (1983) argues that these reflexive processes are difficult to attempt by researchers and many opt to avoid them or accept them only when the situation is going downhill. However, Gehlbach (2004) suggests that all of these methodological roadblocks can be resolved by using social perspective taking.
Perspective taking means when a person goes past their own literal or psychological point of view to consider the viewpoint of another person who is likely to have a specific psychological point of view (Finefter-Rosenbluh, 2017). Furthermore, Finefter-Rosenbluh compiled a list of social perspective taking advantages, including advanced moral reasoning (Kohlberg, 1976); empathic accuracy (Ickes, 1997); accuracy in assessing or remembering others' actions (Hall, Andrzejewski, & Yopchick, 2009); and accuracy in judging others’
behaviors (Hall et al., 2009); and accuracy in judging what others may think, feel, and want (Hall, Andrzejewski (Ames, 2004).
Within reflexivity, Finefter-Rosenbluh (2017) proposes three methodological perspective- taking measures to assist insider-researchers in reexamining their research processes, eventually assisting in the resolution of methodological uncertainties and portraying a more transparent and detailed investigation. These measures include triggering the mental process of perspective taking, anchoring one's own perspective and dissecting others' perspectives, and equilibrium—negotiating various understandings without forcing widely shared definitions. Section 3.1.1 emphasizes the researcher's reflexive approach to social perspective taking, which supports the insider research's stance used in this thesis.
2.5.5 Value Proposition Canvas
The Value Proposition Canvas has two sides: a customer profile that helps understand who the customers are, and a value map that explains how the business generates value for them.
More specifically, the customer profile, also known as the customer segment, is a more structured and detailed definition of a specific customer segment in the business model that deconstructs the customer into jobs, pains, and gains. While the value map, also known as the value proposition, defines the characteristics of a particular value proposition in the business model in a more organized and informative manner by categorizing the value proposition as products and services, pain relievers, and gain creators. (Osterwalder, Pigneur, Bernarda, & Smith, 2014)
2.5.6 CX strategy roadmap
The study by Johnston and Kong (2011) of the existing research on how organizations are taking on the challenge of improving their CX is greatly synthesized into a broad eight-stage
