The market for online games is huge, but research on the economics of online game operations remains nascent. In this paper, we focus on “free-to-play” online games in which a game provider offers players an option to purchase game-specific virtual goods (items) for improving their winning chances before the game begins. Because selling virtual items is the main revenue stream in free-to-play games, it is important for game providers to find ways to entice players to purchase virtual items. We observe that some game providers disclose the opponent’s skill level before the game begins by using a “transparent selling” mechanism to sell virtual items, whereas others conceal this information from the players. This observation motivates us to examine whether and when game providers should adopt transparent selling. By analyzing a game-theoretical model that involves one game provider and two competitive players, we obtain the following results. First, when the price of the virtual goods is endogenously determined by the game provider, we find that transparent selling is not effective: it is optimal for the provider to adopt “opaque selling” by concealing the opponent’s skill level information from players. However, opaque selling hurts the player’s welfare. Second, when the selling price is exogenously given, transparent selling dominates opaque selling when the given price is high. Our results identify the conditions under which transparent selling dominates opaque selling.
{"title":"Selling Virtual Items in Free-to-Play Games: Transparent Selling vs. Opaque Selling","authors":"Yifan Jiao, Christopher S. Tang, Jingqi Wang","doi":"10.1287/serv.2021.0271","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1287/serv.2021.0271","url":null,"abstract":"The market for online games is huge, but research on the economics of online game operations remains nascent. In this paper, we focus on “free-to-play” online games in which a game provider offers players an option to purchase game-specific virtual goods (items) for improving their winning chances before the game begins. Because selling virtual items is the main revenue stream in free-to-play games, it is important for game providers to find ways to entice players to purchase virtual items. We observe that some game providers disclose the opponent’s skill level before the game begins by using a “transparent selling” mechanism to sell virtual items, whereas others conceal this information from the players. This observation motivates us to examine whether and when game providers should adopt transparent selling. By analyzing a game-theoretical model that involves one game provider and two competitive players, we obtain the following results. First, when the price of the virtual goods is endogenously determined by the game provider, we find that transparent selling is not effective: it is optimal for the provider to adopt “opaque selling” by concealing the opponent’s skill level information from players. However, opaque selling hurts the player’s welfare. Second, when the selling price is exogenously given, transparent selling dominates opaque selling when the given price is high. Our results identify the conditions under which transparent selling dominates opaque selling.","PeriodicalId":46249,"journal":{"name":"Service Science","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2021-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83346942","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Publishing in respected scholarly journals is critical to academic success. However, if journal editorial boards fail to reflect the diversity of thought in a field, worthy work may be overlooked. This study assesses the level of diversity in the editorial boards of the 16 INFORMS journals. We examine gender, whether an individual is an underrepresented minority, and institutional affiliation, and perform a network analysis to identify coauthor relationships between editorial board members. We find that the editorial boards have low levels of diversity: women comprise just under 20% of the editorial board members; fewer than 1% of editorial board members are underrepresented minorities; and 10 institutions (less than 5% of the total) account for more than 25% of the editors. We find a high level of connectivity between editorial board members (as measured by coauthor relationship) for some of the INFORMS journals, suggesting the influence of an “in crowd” of like-minded individuals. INFORMS can and should work to end this state of affairs: we provide a set of actionable recommendations for broadening diversity and reducing connectivity on the INFORMS journal editorial boards. In this way, INFORMS journals can support a diversity of backgrounds and views, enabling the publication of a broader range of ideas and invigorating academic discourse in our profession.
{"title":"Who Are the Gatekeepers? An Examination of Diversity in INFORMS Journal Editorial Boards","authors":"Laker Newhouse, M. Brandeau","doi":"10.1287/SERV.2021.0274","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1287/SERV.2021.0274","url":null,"abstract":"Publishing in respected scholarly journals is critical to academic success. However, if journal editorial boards fail to reflect the diversity of thought in a field, worthy work may be overlooked. This study assesses the level of diversity in the editorial boards of the 16 INFORMS journals. We examine gender, whether an individual is an underrepresented minority, and institutional affiliation, and perform a network analysis to identify coauthor relationships between editorial board members. We find that the editorial boards have low levels of diversity: women comprise just under 20% of the editorial board members; fewer than 1% of editorial board members are underrepresented minorities; and 10 institutions (less than 5% of the total) account for more than 25% of the editors. We find a high level of connectivity between editorial board members (as measured by coauthor relationship) for some of the INFORMS journals, suggesting the influence of an “in crowd” of like-minded individuals. INFORMS can and should work to end this state of affairs: we provide a set of actionable recommendations for broadening diversity and reducing connectivity on the INFORMS journal editorial boards. In this way, INFORMS journals can support a diversity of backgrounds and views, enabling the publication of a broader range of ideas and invigorating academic discourse in our profession.","PeriodicalId":46249,"journal":{"name":"Service Science","volume":"61 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2021-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77595066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Highly qualified employees are a critical element of a service experience. Utilizing the theatre metaphor, we showcase a method to value these employees with a case study on Broadway. Using a novel...
{"title":"Value of Stars on Broadway: A Case Study","authors":"Kyle D. S. Maclean","doi":"10.1287/SERV.2021.0273","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1287/SERV.2021.0273","url":null,"abstract":"Highly qualified employees are a critical element of a service experience. Utilizing the theatre metaphor, we showcase a method to value these employees with a case study on Broadway. Using a novel...","PeriodicalId":46249,"journal":{"name":"Service Science","volume":"184 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2021-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85085767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
An important but overlooked cost of payments in retailing is the cost on checkout cashiers. This paper examines the compensating wage differential that cashiers require to handle payments in cash. First, a multicountry panel data study shows that cashier wages increase with retail cash usage, which is consistent with cashiers requiring compensation to handle cash. Second, in a discrete choice experiment where supermarket cashiers chose between collecting card and cash payments, eight of 10 cashiers preferred card to cash. Among those who preferred card, the median cashier required a wage premium of S$37.50 (US$27) a month to handle cash. The premium was lower among cashiers who are local, less risk averse, and younger. Third, in a laboratory study, subjects traded off earnings against stress. With higher frequency of cash payments, high earners experienced greater physiological stress than low earners. Earnings also increased with abilities in arithmetic and coping with stress. Collectively, these studies show that cashiers require higher wages to handle cash payments, in part due to higher stress. We offer policy, managerial, and research implications for job design, payment systems, and workplace stress.
{"title":"Cost of Cash: Evidence from Cashiers","authors":"I. P. L. Png,Charmaine H. Y. Tan","doi":"10.1287/serv.2021.0272","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1287/serv.2021.0272","url":null,"abstract":"An important but overlooked cost of payments in retailing is the cost on checkout cashiers. This paper examines the compensating wage differential that cashiers require to handle payments in cash. First, a multicountry panel data study shows that cashier wages increase with retail cash usage, which is consistent with cashiers requiring compensation to handle cash. Second, in a discrete choice experiment where supermarket cashiers chose between collecting card and cash payments, eight of 10 cashiers preferred card to cash. Among those who preferred card, the median cashier required a wage premium of S$37.50 (US$27) a month to handle cash. The premium was lower among cashiers who are local, less risk averse, and younger. Third, in a laboratory study, subjects traded off earnings against stress. With higher frequency of cash payments, high earners experienced greater physiological stress than low earners. Earnings also increased with abilities in arithmetic and coping with stress. Collectively, these studies show that cashiers require higher wages to handle cash payments, in part due to higher stress. We offer policy, managerial, and research implications for job design, payment systems, and workplace stress.","PeriodicalId":46249,"journal":{"name":"Service Science","volume":"39 1","pages":"88-108"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2021-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138517787","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In this paper, we provide a survey of recent developments in the fintech (financial technology) industry, focusing on the operational structures, the technologies involved, and the operational risk...
{"title":"Frontiers in Service Science: Fintech Operations—An Overview of Recent Developments and Future Research Directions","authors":"Baile Lu, Shuai Hao, Michael Pinedo, Yuqian Xu","doi":"10.1287/SERV.2021.0270","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1287/SERV.2021.0270","url":null,"abstract":"In this paper, we provide a survey of recent developments in the fintech (financial technology) industry, focusing on the operational structures, the technologies involved, and the operational risk...","PeriodicalId":46249,"journal":{"name":"Service Science","volume":"121 1","pages":"19-35"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2021-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73586079","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amid population aging, the senior living industry has become an important sector of the service industry, especially in China. Population control throughout the past four decades has led to the qui...
{"title":"Examination of Chinese Older Adults’ Attitudes Toward Senior Living Institutions","authors":"Juan Liu, Wei Wei, Qingyun Peng, Chenzhe Xue","doi":"10.1287/SERV.2020.0267","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1287/SERV.2020.0267","url":null,"abstract":"Amid population aging, the senior living industry has become an important sector of the service industry, especially in China. Population control throughout the past four decades has led to the qui...","PeriodicalId":46249,"journal":{"name":"Service Science","volume":"81 1","pages":"36-50"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2021-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78520217","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, began infecting humans in late 2019 and has since spread to over 57 million people and caused over 1.75 million deaths, as of December 27, 2020. In respo...
{"title":"Airplane Seating Assignment Problem","authors":"J. Pavlik, Ian G. Ludden, S. Jacobson, E. Sewell","doi":"10.1287/SERV.2021.0269","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1287/SERV.2021.0269","url":null,"abstract":"SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, began infecting humans in late 2019 and has since spread to over 57 million people and caused over 1.75 million deaths, as of December 27, 2020. In respo...","PeriodicalId":46249,"journal":{"name":"Service Science","volume":"37 1","pages":"1-18"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2021-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74380978","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Niels A. H. Agatz, Soo-Haeng Cho, Hai Wang, S. Benjaafar
{"title":"Call for Papers—Special Issue of Service Science: Innovation in Transportation-Enabled Urban Services","authors":"Niels A. H. Agatz, Soo-Haeng Cho, Hai Wang, S. Benjaafar","doi":"10.1287/SERV.2020.0268","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1287/SERV.2020.0268","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":46249,"journal":{"name":"Service Science","volume":"24 1","pages":"51-52"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2021-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73991600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Because electric vehicle sharing (EVS) offers the advantages of high flexibility and convenience, it has been receiving increasing attention worldwide as an effective approach to easing traffic con...
{"title":"Integrating Price-Incentive and Trip-Selection Policies to Rebalance Shared Electric Vehicles","authors":"Zihao Jiao, Lun Ran, Xin Liu, Yuli Zhang, R. Qiu","doi":"10.1287/serv.2020.0266","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1287/serv.2020.0266","url":null,"abstract":"Because electric vehicle sharing (EVS) offers the advantages of high flexibility and convenience, it has been receiving increasing attention worldwide as an effective approach to easing traffic con...","PeriodicalId":46249,"journal":{"name":"Service Science","volume":"2 1","pages":"148-173"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2020-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84886667","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Saif Benjaafar, Editor-in-Chief of Service Science, thanks the referees who have generously provided expert counsel and guidance on a voluntary basis to the journal. Without them, the journal would not be able to function. The following list acknowledges those who acted as referees for papers considered during this past calendar year.
{"title":"Appreciation to Referees, 2020","authors":"","doi":"10.1287/deca.2020.0422","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1287/deca.2020.0422","url":null,"abstract":"Saif Benjaafar, Editor-in-Chief of Service Science, thanks the referees who have generously provided expert counsel and guidance on a voluntary basis to the journal. Without them, the journal would not be able to function. The following list acknowledges those who acted as referees for papers considered during this past calendar year.","PeriodicalId":46249,"journal":{"name":"Service Science","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2020-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83068265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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