...Jeroen Schepers; Sandra Streukens Purpose Although consumers feel that the move toward service robots in the frontline so far was driven by firms' strive to replace human service agents and realize cost savings accordingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has led customers to appreciate frontline robots...

...Kristina Heinonen; Tore Strandvik Purpose The empirical study draws on a crowdsourced database of 221 innovations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach Aside from the health and humanitarian crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an acute economic downturn...

... the role of the companion robot Vector during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings The contributions of this study are twofold. First, it postulates that companion robots have the potential of mitigating feelings of loneliness (i.e. indicator of well-being). Second, this study contributes to transformative...

...Wided Batat Purpose The purpose of this research is to examine response strategies and the change in Michelin-starred chefs' practices to adapt to the global pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis that has strongly affected the foodservice sector. Design/methodology/approach...

...Jörg Finsterwalder; Volker G. Kuppelwieser Purpose This article explores the impact of crises, such as the coronavirus pandemic, on service industries, service customers, and the service research community. It contextualizes pandemics in the realm of disasters and crises, and how they influence...