Faculty of Economics and Business

How can consumers be more accepting, satisfied of and compliant with service robots in frontline service settings, such as retail and even healthcare? This is the question Jana Holthöwer focused on in her PhD research. A relevant topic in this day and age of staff shortages. Holthöwer stresses that it is important to understand how robot characteristics and contextual factors can influence the service experience to be able to ensure a successful integration of service robots the health realm. This is at the core of her research and dissertation. With her work, she enriches our understanding of the integration of service robots in the healthcare sector.

Imagine this scenario: an older person is moving from the hospital back home, yet the process is anything but smooth. They are feeling uncertain and confused about what awaits them post-hospital discharge. Is there a way to improve this transition? This is where transitional care innovations (TCIs) come into play. TCIs are innovations aimed at coordinating and streamlining the care continuity for patients, ensuring that they receive “the right care at the right time at the right place” as they move between multiple care settings during these transitions. Yet there are currently several mechanisms in the real-world practice that impede the successful implementation of TCIs. In a recent study, Assistant Professor Amal Fakha (FEB’s Department of Innovation management & Strategy) and co-authors thus developed a novel set of implementation strategies.

PhD candidate Elena Agachi studied the potential of online preventive health programs. Her project was a cooperation between the University of Groningen and health insurance company Menzis. Elena’s research was centred around the lifestyle program SamenGezond, analyzing real world data on activities in the program, as well as healthcare costs. The project’s findings demonstrate the potential of online preventive programs to improve individual health, supporting the transition from reactive healthcare to proactive well-being.

How can you entice supermarket customers to make healthier and more sustainable choices? This is what researchers from the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) of the University of Groningen (UG) have been researching for the past five years, in collaboration with Wageningen University & Research (WUR). Among other things, they discovered that supermarket customers are quite willing to make healthier choices, but shy away if they feel they are being patronized.

Oreo cookies and stroopwafels: Amber Werkman was working on a very tempting research topic these past years. The PhD student at the Faculty of Economics and Business went in search of a solution to overconsumption and food waste. Her conclusion: consumers snack and waste less when they are free to choose their total portion based on smaller units.