Document Type : مقاله مستخرج از رساله دکتری
Authors
1
Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Business Management, Qazvin Branch, Is-lamic Azad University, Qazvin, Iran.
2
Associate Professor, Department of Business management, North of Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
3
Assistant Professor, Department of Business management, Qazvin Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qazvin, Iran.
Abstract
Aim and introduction: The concept of co-creation has become extremely important in recent times due to the shift in the role of customers from passive consumers to active partners of companies. Businesses are seeking to leverage the benefits of co-creation in order to gain a competitive advantage. Co-creation of value through the pooling of knowledge and experiences from both customers and businesses can result in the generation of new knowledge and understanding regarding the strengths and weaknesses of products and services. This process can ultimately benefit both customers and businesses by facilitating improvements. Various studies have been conducted in the field of value co-creation, exploring its antecedents and consequences. There are various factors that can lead to opportunities for co-creation between customers and businesses in online environments. Factors that depend on customers, businesses, or the relationships between them. Due to the wide range of results and the absence of specific factor categories, it has become increasingly complex and difficult to create a holistic and comprehensive understanding of these factors. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a consistent and integrated approach to the factors that influence the antecedents and outcomes of value co-creation in the online environment by synthesizing the findings of valid research studies. In this context, the aim of the current study is to identify the antecedents and consequences of value co-creation in online environments using a meta-synthesis approach. Methodology: In the current research, the meta-synthesis method and the seven steps introduced by Sandelowski and Barroso (2007) were used to extract valid local and foreign articles based on a systematic approach. The tool used for analyzing the collected data was thematic analysis in the MAXQDA software. In this research, the seven steps of the meta-synthesis method were as follows: setting research questions, conducting a systematic review, searching for and selecting suitable research studies, extracting information, analyzing and combining qualitative findings, ensuring quality control, and finally presenting the findings. The thematic analysis method was used to code the text of the selected articles and extract the main, organizing, and comprehensive themes in this study. Findings: The implementation of the seven-step approach resulted in the identification of 34 final articles (27 foreign articles and 7 domestic articles). The data collected from these articles was analyzed using the MAXQDA software, leading to the identification of 53 antecedents as affecting factors. These factors were categorized into seven components and three general dimensions. Additionally, 18 consequences of value co-creation in different sectors were identified, categorized into two dimensions. Based on the results, three general dimensions of an tecedents were identified: communication factors, customer/user-related factors, and company or brand-related factors. Also, the two main dimensions of the outcomes included factors associated with the company or brand and factors associated with the customer or user. In addition, this research extracted 25 separate definitions of the concept of value co-creation from the research literature. Therefore, the outputs of the current analysis were divided into three sections: the antecedents of value co-creation in online environments, the consequences of value co-creation in online environments, and definitions related to value co-creation. Discussion and conclusion: The analysis results revealed that the most frequent consequence of value co-creation was the improvement of customer loyalty. Additionally, the antecedents of value co-creation were found to be the customer's previous interactive experiences with the brand, which had the highest frequency among the indicators. Based on the obtained results, various relational factors and perceptual and experiential factors have a significant impact on shaping the fields of value co-creation in online environments. Additionally, the results identified from the research literature indicate that co-creation of value in online environments can have both benefits and advantages for customers. Furthermore, it can also result in the development of more comprehensive products and services by leveraging the knowledge and information provided by customers. Co-creation of value can provide various advantages for both customers and businesses. Based on the research literature, businesses should create the necessary motivations and factors to encourage industrial customers to engage in sustainable interactions, thereby shaping their desired attitudes and perceptions. Without such motivations and stimuli, it is not possible to expect that value co-creation actions in the online environment can lead to favorable outcomes. In addition, this value-creating relationship can remain stable when customers perceive their communication experiences as positive and favorable. Therefore, value creation is a constant and ongoing effort in all businesses.
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