2026-09-20T03:09:56Zhttps://dspace.mit.edu/server/oai/requestoai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/394792022-01-13T07:54:52Zcom_1721.1_7582com_1721.1_7581col_1721.1_131022
Michael A. Cusumano.
Mansharamani, Vikram, 1974-
Sloan School of Management.
Sloan School of Management
2007-11-15T21:33:35Z
2007-11-15T21:33:35Z
2007
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/39479
173849545
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2007.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
"February 2007." Vita.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 283-289).
This dissertation is focused on the topic of service innovation and explores economies of scale and strategic differentiation in services via an inductive field-based case study of the world's largest casino gaming company, Harrah's Entertainment. It includes comparisons to services firms in other industries such as distribution/logistics (UPS) and for-profit/online education (Apollo Group/University of Phoenix). The findings suggest that scale and differentiation (considered by many to be mutually exclusive in services) can be combined through the strategic use of information technology in a manner that increases customer switching costs, resulting in improved profitability and returns. The limitations of standardization-only scale-oriented strategies are discussed, and the dissertation concludes with a description of the three key components needed by any firm seeking to employ a strategy of scalable service differentiation: (1) a loyalty program, or other means of linking specific transaction data with specific customers, (2) an analytic engine that determines the ranking/prioritization of customers and the criteria upon which to differentiate services, and (3) a set of information technology tools that automate consistent differentiated service delivery across a company's touch-points with its customers.
by Vikram Mansharamani.
Ph.D.
308 leaves
eng
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
Sloan School of Management.
Scale and differentiation in services : using information technologies to manage customer experiences at Harrah's Entertainment and other companies
Thesis
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<Abstract>This dissertation is focused on the topic of service innovation and explores economies of scale and strategic differentiation in services via an inductive field-based case study of the world's largest casino gaming company, Harrah's Entertainment. It includes comparisons to services firms in other industries such as distribution/logistics (UPS) and for-profit/online education (Apollo Group/University of Phoenix). The findings suggest that scale and differentiation (considered by many to be mutually exclusive in services) can be combined through the strategic use of information technology in a manner that increases customer switching costs, resulting in improved profitability and returns. The limitations of standardization-only scale-oriented strategies are discussed, and the dissertation concludes with a description of the three key components needed by any firm seeking to employ a strategy of scalable service differentiation: (1) a loyalty program, or other means of linking specific transaction data with specific customers, (2) an analytic engine that determines the ranking/prioritization of customers and the criteria upon which to differentiate services, and (3) a set of information technology tools that automate consistent differentiated service delivery across a company's touch-points with its customers.</Abstract>
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