Running head: THE LOBLAWS SERVICESCAPE

The Loblaws Servicescape: Pros and Cons

Student Name

Institution
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The Loblaws Servicescape: Pros and Cons

This work examines the factors comprising the so-called “servicescape” located at

Lablaws’ supermarket chains. It is divided into multiple succinct sections. This first embedded

section is the implied introduction. The following section on background provides an operational

definition and components of meaning of the term servicescape. The next section is context,

which describes how the strengths and weaknesses of the layout of that servicescape will

compare and contrast. The section proffering the research inquiry engages in systematic

comparison of a servicescape’s effect on the perspectives and perceptions of both service-

delivery personnel and customers to answer the question: which group is more-heavily

influenced by the servicescape, and what behavioral patterns, emotional responses and beliefs

does this influence condensate? The proceeding section on purpose theorizes the relative impact

that differential servicescapes have on employees and consumers once contextualized to applied

operations management theory. The next section presents a conceptual framework of decision-

making and patterns of behavior made by persons operating within the servicescape. Following

that is the section introducing the qualitative instrumental case-study research design. Then

comes the multi-method approach of incorporating multiple research designs to compare several

cases that result in dynamic theorizations based in emergent social realities. Continuing, is a

theoretical framework for analysis of causal explanations and exploratory functions related to

human behavior that works in adaptation with the socially-constructed reality, which the

servicescape produces by collective projection of meaning.

As the forgoing sections will contain an embedded literature review, so too will the

discussion of results for the remainder of the paper conclude with various descriptions of both
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the weaknesses and strengths that the layout of Loblaws’ provide from the point of view of

shoppers and of managers and support staff working amongst the same servicescapes.

Background

According to Heizer, J., Render, B. and Griffin, P. (2017), in their book Operations

Management, “the term servicescape describes the physical surroundings in which the service is

delivered and how the surroundings have a humanistic effect on customers and employees” (p.

329).

There are three main elements of a servicescape:

1. AMBIENT CONDITIONS, which are background characteristics such as

lighting, sound, smell, and temperature. All these affect workers and customers and

can affect how much money is spent and how long a person stays in the building.

2. SPATIAL LAYOUT AND FUNCTIONALITY, which involve customer

circulation path planning, aisle characteristics (such as width, direction, angle, and

shelf spacing), and product grouping. [And] 3. SIGNS, SYMBOLS, AND

ARTIFACTS, which are characteristics of building design that carry social

significance (such as carpeted areas of a department store that encourage shoppers

to slow down and browse). (Heizer et al., 2017, p. 329.)

Context

It is predictable that a paper on potential costs and benefits to each of two different

groups caused by the same phenomenon would naturally take the form of a comparative analysis.

Seeing as how Bitner (1992) found that “the same physical setting that communicates with and

influences customers may affect employees” (p. 57), this context for the paper ideally postulates

comparison and contrasting: (1) between employees and consumers experiencing a benefit from
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the servicescape; (2) between neither employees nor consumers experiencing a benefit from the

servicescape; (3) between employees experiencing a shortcoming of a servicescape and

consumers experiencing a benefit; and (4) between consumers being disappointed by the

servicescape and laborers who are enjoying it.

Research Question

This paper attempts to answer the question of what effect a servicescape has on both a

company’s work force and its consumers, either positive or negative, on their views and

behaviors—and by extension, this section asks what constitutes a negative or positive effect, i.e.,

positive for whom, also how, and of course why? According to Bitner (1992), “the first step in

the purposeful design of the servicescape is to identify desirable customer and/or employee

behaviors and the strategic goals that the organization hopes to advance through its physical

facility” (p. 62). For example, with servicescapes involving social interactions, due emphasis

must be placed on the influencing factors of the physical environment, which are pleasant for the

value of the social interaction between and among customers and employees, as well as those

factors that make the supermarket environment emotionally appealing due to the servicescape

(Bitner, 1992). These are some of the positive dimensions that servicescapes can bear. In

conclusion, “both organizational and marketing objectives could potentially be targeted through

careful design of the servicescape” (Bitner, 1992, p. 58).

Purpose

The purpose here, with operational management “in action” (Heizer et al., 2017, p. 329),

is to develop theories and theoretics about how to measure the magnitude of the impact, which is

influenced by servicescapes, that is had on customers and employees. One such theory is

couched within applied operations-management models that evaluate the economic efficiency of
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implementing various servicescapes, which optimize the layout of square footage and overall

real estate that “has been vital to the success of Loblaw. […] The various store layouts are

designed to enhance the shopping experience for the customer while making the diverse products

and services visible and easy to access.” (p. 330).

Conceptual Framework

While the conceptual framework for this work is based in decision making and patterns

of behavior, those two are not necessarily linked by the servicescape. Bitner (1992)’s conceptual

framework “suggests that a variety of objective environmental factors are perceived by both

customers and employees and that both groups may respond cognitively, emotionally, and

physiologically to the environment,” which may “influence the behavior of individual customers

and employees in the servicescape and affect social interactions between and among customers

and employees” (p. 59; original emphasis.).

Research Design

This work employs an extended qualitative instrumental case study research design,

which asks the questions already raised in this paper of “how” strengths and weaknesses emerge

in the layout of servicescapes and “what” can we identify them as? It incorporates multiple parts

of designs, which allows for the study of more cases and thus the theorization of further

interpretative frames for analysis. One particular case which could serve as the subject of study is

based on the fact that larger Loblaw outlets “offer greater availability of products and services,

but smaller locations also aim to optimize their square footage, and the layout of each store is

designed to permit the customer the ability to move easily and seamlessly from area to area”

(Heizer et al., 2017, p. 330).

Methods
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These include direct interpretation and categorical aggregation, with the former being a

mode of naturalist generalization, whereby we reach that interpretive state by entertaining a

mutually situated experience with those around you, causing the positive or negative attribute

attributed to a servicescape to take on a collective social meaning. The latter being the situation

where a new phenomenon exists across several different cases, which is usually also due to

social influence factors and causes situation to become process and social processes to manifest

as conceptually framed as conditions of possibility for new social relations to emerge (Heizer et

al., 2017).

Theoretical Concept

The interpretation of theory emanates from explanations of causal explanation inherent to

understanding the costs and benefits of servicescaping through a “broad spectrum of

methodological foundations of exploratory, explanatory interpretivist, and critical/reflexive

designs” (Ridder, 2017, p. 285). Another core theoretical concept to understanding the ability to

theorize the good and the bad associated with servicescaping is exploratory functionality, which

posits that there is no real world outside of mental and symbolic languages’ shared meanings. As

such, socially constructed reality becomes a sensitive frame for analysis, in which a comparative

strategy allows for the tracing of differences across cases to external factors (Ridder, 2017).

Conclusion

In lieu of a technical litany of textual readings, this work has sought to approach the

general topic of strengths and weaknesses of Loblaw’s servicescapes through specific

methodological devices along with nuanced attempts at the research. Without restating the

introductory paragraph, a background, context, research question, purpose, conceptual

framework, research resign, method, and theoretical concept has brought about a unique form of
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discussion whereby comparative analysis was undertaken to further investigate the dynamics

which surrounded the topic for discussion. Given the broad nature of said topic, elaboration of its

broader frame of reference was appropriate. It was found that socially constructed realities—

shared meanings, multiple interpretations, and mutual experiences—among other facets, were

the most powerful of amplifiers for any comparison or point of contrast drawn between separate

groups experiencing the same phenomena, either in a way that demonstrated the phenomenon’s

weakness, or its strength:

There are not many competitors that offer a location where you can acquire a

mortgage, merchandise, and groceries all under one roof. But availability in itself

is not enough; that is, the layout and flow of how and where the products and

services are made available is just as important. (Heizer et al., 2017, p. 330).
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References

Bitner, M. J. (1992). Servicescapes: The impact of physical surroundings on customers and

employees. Journal of Marketing, 56(2), 57-71.

Heizer, J., Render, B., & Griffin, P. (2017). Operations management: Sustainability and supply

chain management (2nd. Canadian ed.). [180-Day Option]. Retrieved from

https://www.vitalsource.com

Ridder, H. (2017). The theory contribution of case study research designs. Business Research,

10(2), 281-305.