"Servicescape Design" Course at Catholic University of Eichstatt-Ingolstadt, Germany

As part of my "job" as the Audi Visiting Professor at the Catholic University of Eichstatt-Ingolstadt I was asked to teach a course. Jens Hogreve and I decided to have me teach the course I had developed at BGSU on Servicescape Design. 25 eager students came to class on Wednesday. (Surprisingly, 15 other students who had signed up for the course did not show up!  This is particularly inconsiderate of the 11 students on the waiting list who were not able to enroll in the course.)

The first day of the Servicescape Design course.

After three hours of lecture, we took a field trip to the McDonald's store in the Ingolstadt city center. While there students discussed the BusinessWeek cover story from May 2006 entitled, "Mickey D's Makeover" and the extent to which the servicescape at this McDonald's has an impact on the customer's experience.

Student teams discussing servicescape issues at McDonald's.

"Publishing Scholarly Research" Seminar in Augsburg, Germany

I started my last scheduled Publishing seminar on Friday (April 22), at the University of Augsburg. (It is about an hour train ride to the west from Ingolstadt.)  We are scheduled to meet 5 times over the next 3 weeks.

Augsburg Ph.D. students who are eager to get their research published!

I was invited by Michael Paul, who is the Value-Based Marketing Chair in Augsburg.  However, he is currently working in Finland, so Andreas Lechner helped me get situated when I arrived.  His Ph.D. students asked if they could take a picture with me...not sure why...but, I obliged!

Sonja Kralj, Markus Gahler, Dwayne, and Andreas Lechner

We spent most of the first day discussing the journey of two research projects. The Marketing students rather enjoyed seeing a picture of their professor, Michael Paul, in the discussion of one of the projects (our co-authored Journal of Marketing article on Emotional Contagion from 2006).

Thorsten Hennig-Thurau, Dwayne, and two Ph.D. students (including a certain Augsburg Professor!) in Weimar in 2004

As was the tradition with my other "Publishing Scholarly Research" seminars, we concluded with a lecture on how best to celebrate publications.

My first green beer...this is called Lechwasser (a mixture of wheat beer, lemonade and blue curacao). 

Augsburg Ph.D. Students (Andreas Lechner and Janina Kleine) seemed to know what to do with their Lechwasser.  They did not really need any coaching from me!

Celebrating 500 Years of the "Bavarian Beer Purity Law" with the German Chancellor in Ingolstadt, Germany

Apparently Jens Hogreve has tremendous influence in Ingolstadt and in Germany, as he arranged for the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Bavarian Beer Purity Law to take place once I arrived in Ingolstadt. (In  1516, the Bavarian Beer Purity Law was adopted by Duke Wilhelm IV.  This law required brewing beer with only water, hops, and barley so  that the highest quality of beer would be produce.  This law is the oldest, still valid, food law in the world.)  (Click here for more details.) Jens arranged for the German Chancellor,  Angela Merkel, to attend and have a beer with me!  Prost!!!

Chancellor Merkel loves her beer!

Although she was very friendly to me, she is quite camera shy and wished not to be in the picture with me...

Celebrating 500 years of Reinheitsgebot in Ingolstadt!

A "DJ" Contest for a UNICEF Fundraiser in Ingolstadt, Germany

Less than 24 hours after I landed in Germany (coming in from Australia), I was asked by Jens Hogreve and the Services Management Department at the Catholic University of Eichstatt-Ingolstadt to be a part of a "DJ contest," apparently an annual event here. It was a dance for students at the university to raise money for UNICEF. Faculty of the various departments were to put together a 30-minute set of music for students to dance to.

The Services Management department had a beach theme to their music.  Jens Hogreve (left) was the lead DJ.

I cannot recall the last time I was in a dark, crowded night club at 11:30 p.m. listening to loud, contemporary German music.  But, I think it has been a while...

You should have seen ME dancing...or, maybe not!

Lots of money was raised, and a story about the professors being involved in the event appeared on Saturday in the local Ingolstadt newspaper.

Jens Hogreve, Werner Kunz (on sabbatical from UMass-Boston), and Dwayne

Apparently, according to my sister Tammy, this story was subsequently picked up by USA Today...

It is amazing the things you get to do (or, are forced to do) while on sabbatical.  Who would have predicted this?

Presentations at the University of Western Australia Business School, Perth, Australia

About 6 years ago Jill Sweeney invited me to visit her at the University of Western Australia. Since I was going to be "in the neighborhood" (i.e., Brisbane), we worked it out for me to visit during my trip to Australia.

A very cool Business School building at UWA. (Can we get one of these at BGSU?)

On Wednesday morning I gave a research presentation focused on our recent Journal of Service Research articlePaper on "Employee Emotional Competence."  I followed that up by introducing the concept of "Bad News" and briefly discussed our plans for examining how employees deliver bad news in service encounters.

We had a engaging discussion at the end of my presentation. What fun!  

Later in the day I spoke on Service Recovery to Jill Sweeney's MBA class.  One of the student groups discussed the case "United Breaks Guitars" which fit nicely into my discussion.  After the class one student, also named "Dwayne" (a very cool name), introduced himself to me and another asked me to sign his Services Marketing textbook.  (My BGSU students never ask for my signature!)

Signs You Don't Often See in the U.S. But Do See in Australia

A couple of interesting signs I came across while in Australia. The first sign is in the park at New Farm (near Brisbane).

A "Thank You" for noticing the sign.

The second sign was in King's Park, in Perth.

Not sure if the sign is always up, or only after it rains!

Leisure Time in Brisbane, Australia

After a very busy week with seminars and individual meetings with QUT researchers, I had some free time over the weekend.  I went two bus tours of Brisbane, one around the city and one out to Mt. Coot-tha that had a great view of the city. And, in doing so I discovered a great set of steps for my collection...Jacob's Ladder.

Jacob's Ladder in King Edward Park

Later in the day I went for a sunset cruise with Judy Drennan and her husband David on their sale boat.

Does it look like I know what I am doing?

Drinking champagne...that I can do!

The next morning I went to breakfast and a walk around the New Farm park with Larry Neale and Paula Dootson.  For lunch I had a kangaroo burger.  Then for dinner I had "steak on the barbie" with Dominique Greer, her husband Duncan, daughter Gabrielle, and friends.

The Greers at their Queenslander home.

Critical Incident Technique Seminar at QUT, Brisbane, Australia

Given my experience in writing about the Critical Incident Technique and since I conducted a workshop on it in Namur, Belgium, in December, I was asked to do a two-hour workshop at Queensland University of Technology.  Interestingly, the entire audience was female!  I thought that was great, but don't tell my wife...

Another great looking QUT group!

After an introduction to the method and a discussion of our rapport CIT study from a few years ago, I had the audience "get their hands dirty" by coding some incidents.

They were taking the coding exercise very seriously!

"Publishing Scholarly Research" Seminar at QUT, Brisbane, Australia

About a year and a half ago Dominique Greer invited me to come to Queensland University of Technology for a visit.  At the time she did not know that I had planned a sabbatical, and it turned out the time was perfect.  So, on April Fool's Day I flew from Detroit to Los Angeles and then on to Brisbane.  (Somewhere in there I lost a day, as I arrived on April 3.)

I have been walking an hour each morning along the Brisbane River...with wonderful views!  This is Story Bridge.

After having a day to get over any jet lag, I began the first of two full days of the Publishing Scholarly Research seminar.  The attendees asked some great questions!

A wonderful looking group of mates at the Publishing seminar!  (From the left: Amisha Mehta, Judy Drennan, Bre Devin, Lisa Schuster, Lynda Andrews, Larry Neale, Sven Tuzovic, Paula Dootson, and Dominique Greer.)

Learning to celebrate publishing success!  (This activity also needs practice and perseverance!)