Culture of Service: An Ethnomethodological Study of Sushi Bars

Yutaka Yamauchi, Culture of Service: An Ethnomethodological Study of Sushi Bars

Service is now an important keyword that both practitioners and scholars pay attention to. Value is co-created in service rather than embedded in products. In this context of increasing importance of service, Yutaka Yamauchi’s research specifically focuses on service encounter where customers come into contact with service providers as well as other customers.

In this talk, Yutaka Yamauchi will present his video-based ethnomethodological study of traditional sushi bars in Tokyo and show how service entails contentious presentations and negotiations of selves rather than a simple matter of satisfying customers. He will also discuss culture as a key aspect of service and develop theoretical ideas on culture of service. That is to say, service is a game of culture where value co-creation unfolds through representations of culture and reflexive representations of participants themselves.

Yutaka Yamauchi is Associate Professor at Graduate School of Management and Design School at Kyoto University. Before joining Kyoto University in 2010, he was a researcher at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. He obtained his Ph.D. at UCLA Anderson School of Management. During his sabbatical, he is staying at Department of Management, Politics and Philosophy, Copenhagen Business School, between August and November, 2016. https://www.yamauchi.net

Relevant materials:

* Yamauchi, Y., & Hiramoto, T. (in press). Reflexivity of Routines: An Ethnomethodological Investigation of Initial Service Encounters at Sushi Bars in Tokyo. Organization Studies.

* MOOC “Culture of Services: New Perspective on Customer Relations” (started again on Sept 1). https://www.edx.org/course/culture-services-new-perspective-kyotoux-002x-0

Further information about the event: Fumiko Kano Glückstad, fkg.ibc@cbs.dk

All are welcome; no registration is required.