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Jie Zhang

Jie Zhang of the Gustavson School of Business

Associate Professor

Contact:
Office: BEC 450 250-472-5736
Credentials:
BA in Economics (Foreign Trade Specialization), Fudan University; MA in Sociology, Brown University; ScM in Computer Science, Brown University; DBA in Operations and Technology Management, Boston University
Area of expertise:
Service triads, networks and systems, value co-creation in hospitality, professional and seniors services, sustainable service operations
Related Links:

Biography

Jie is passionate about cultivating service excellence toward a sustainably prosperous, healthy and fulfilling future. Her research draws on theories and practices in service management, technology and knowledge management, and sustainable development. Her projects apply empirical research tools to studying the value co-creation interactions (i.e., service co-production) among a network of service providers and their customers in hospitality, health and Elder support service contexts. Her research findings have been published in journals such as the Journal of Operations Management, Production and Operations Management, Service Science and Journal of Service Management. Prior to joining UVic, Jie was on the faculty at the University of Vermont for 5 years following a decade-long career in computing technology services.

Jie is a member of POMS, ISA and Prezi Educator Society. She serves on the editorial review board of Journal of Operations Management and Service Operations Management Expert Panel of the Journal of Service Management. Jie is the chairperson of the Board of Seniors Serving Seniors, a non-profit community-based organization dedicated to promoting the well-being of senior citizens in the Greater Victoria area since 1981. 

Teaching

Courses taught

  • Operations Management (MBA)
  • Service Management - Operations (BCom)
  • Business and Sustainability (BCom)
  • Infusing Sustainability into Operations and Supply Chain Management (BCom)

Selected publications

Journal publications

Lawrence, B., Zhang, J. J., Hsu, L., & Zheng, S. (2021). Return on Investments in Hotel Franchising: Understanding Moderating Effects of Franchisee Dependence. Production and Operations Management.

Hsu, L., Zhang, J., & Lawrence, B. (2020). The Moderating Role of Hotel Type on Advertising Expenditure Returns in Franchised Chains. Journal of Advertising.

Hunter-Jones, P., Line, N., Zhang, J., Witell, L., Malthouse, E. C., & Hollis, B. (2020). Visioning a Hospitality-Oriented Patient Experience (HOPE) Framework in Healthcare. Journal of Service Management.

Van Riel, A. C., Zhang, J. J., McGinnis, L. P., Nejad, M. G., Bujisic, M., & Phillips, P. A. (2019). A framework for sustainable service system configuration: Exploring value paradoxes with examples from the hospitality industry. Journal of Service Management, 30(3), 349-368. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-12-2018-0396

Field, J., Victorino, L., Buell, R., Dixon, M., Goldstein, S., Menor, L., … Zhang, J. (2018). Service Operations: What’s Next? Journal of Service Management, 29(1), 55–97. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-08-2017-0191

Victorino, L., Field, J., Buell, R., Dixon, M., Goldstein, S., Menor, L., … Zhang, J. (2018). Service Operations: What Have We Learned? Journal of Service Management, 29(1), 39–54. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-08-2017-0192

Lawrence, B. C., Zhang, J. J., & Heineke, J. (2016). A Life-Cycle Perspective of Professionalism in Services. Journal of Operations Management, PSOM(42), 25–38.

Zhang, J., & Joglekar, N. (2016). Can Service Coproduction Factors Improve Learning-by-Doing Simultaneously? Evidence from the US Hotel Industry. Service Science, 8(2), 218–233.

Zhang, J., Lawrence, B. C., & Anderson, C. (2015). An Agency Perspective on Service Triads: Linking Operational and Financial Performance. Journal of Operations Management, 35, 56–66.

Awards & grants

Recognition & awards

  • 2017 - Research with Impact, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

  • 2016 - International Society of Franchising 2016 Best Paper Award, International Society of Franchising

  • 2014 - Honorable Mention, 2014 Best Book Award, Organizations & Natural Environment Division, Academy of Management

  • 2013 - Runner-up, 2012 CQ (Cornell Hospitality Quarterly) Best Article Award, Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration

  • 2012 - Sustainability Faculty Fellow, University of Vermont

Grants

In-Progress

  • Development of a Novel Multi-Disciplinary Model to Explore Biological Aging, Funded by UVic Collaborative Health Grant (March 1, 2021), awarded March 1, 2-21 ($34,000), CoPI Jie Zhang
  • Things You Just Can't Google: Exploring Mental Health Concierge Service Design, Funded by BC SUPPORT Unit Vancouver Island Centre (March 1, 2020 - September 30, 2021), awarded March 1, 2020 ($9,260), CoPI Jie Zhang

Special projects

Improving Home Support Service Continuity to Enable Constructive Aging 

The project aims to explore the critical factors influencing the continuity and effectiveness of home support services. The first phase of the research proposes and validates a measurement scale for Home Support Service Continuity (HSSC), which is conceptualized as a second-order construct (Zhang and Shi, 2023). This scale incorporates 3 foundational dimensions:

  1. relational
  2. informational
  3. management

These are adapted specifically for the home support services by extending established literature on continuity of clinical care. 

The project opens the door for various stakeholders—academics, industry advisers, healthcare providers, and policy makers—to engage in meaningful dialogue and collaboration. Researchers can contribute by further validating the HSSC scale and investigating its implications. Industry advisers can benefit by adopting the developed scale to benchmark and assess service continuity, thereby enhancing quality of care and improving resource allocation. Healthcare providers can use the findings to tailor their service offerings, optimizing the experience of their clients and frontline employees. Policymakers may consider the scale for legislative or resource allocation decisions related to home support services. 

The project is a step forward in advancing our understanding and practices in home support services. Improving the continuity in home support services contributes to the broader initiative of enabling constructive aging (Scharlach 2017). We invite collaboration from all sectors to further this research and its practical applications, addressing the urgent needs of an aging population to improve quality of life.