Impact of Service Automation, Robots, and AI on Customer Engagement and Wellbeing in the Hospitality Industry

We are offering a self-funded PhD position in AI Social and Digital Innovation with Brunel Business School. The project focuses on Investigating the impact of service automation, robots, and AI on customer engagement and wellbeing in the hospitality industry.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

If you have any questions about the project or would like to arrange an informal discussion, please reach out to Dr Ezgi Merdin Uygur at ezgi.merdinuygur@brunel.ac.uk.

The project

The service and hospitality industry, specifically restaurants, is undergoing a profound transformation driven by the rapid adoption of service automation and robotic technologies.

From AI-powered chatbots and self-service kiosks/screens to sophisticated service robots and interactive smart screens, these technologies reformed the traditional way restaurants operate by reducing costs, improving efficiency, and enhancing customer experiences and satisfaction, providing them with elements of novelty and convenience.

This paradigm shift in service encounters requires a deeper understanding of how customer interact with service automation and influence their perceptions.

Here are some helpful research questions:

• The impact of interaction quality with automated service frontlines on customers’ psychological ownership
• The consequences of customer-automated service frontline interaction
• The role of perceived control and autonomy as moderators to this relationship.

To test these relationships, mixed-method approach is ideal, including both qualitative and quantitative studies to generate deeper and diversified insights.

While the qualitative study may include field observation for different automated service settings to refine our understanding of the context and how customers behave and interact, the online secondary data can be analysed with tools such as content analysis or sentiment analysis.

These exploratory findings will lay the ground to refine field and online studies.

For example, designing an online experiment to test customer interaction with automated service frontlines by manipulating interaction variables and consumer variables such as autonomy and control.

Partnering up with a hospitality institution, there may be an opportunity to collect valuable field data from actual consumers.

How to apply

If you are interested in applying for the above PhD topic please follow the steps below:

1. Contact the supervisor by email or phone to discuss your interest and find out if you would be suitable. Supervisor details can be found on this topic page. The supervisor will guide you in developing the topic-specific research proposal, which will form part of your application.
2. Click on the 'Apply here' button on this page and you will be taken to the relevant PhD course page, where you can apply using an online application.
3. Complete the online application indicating your selected supervisor and include the research proposal for the topic you have selected.

Good luck!

This is a self funded topic

Brunel offers a number of funding options to research students that help cover the cost of their tuition fees, contribute to living expenses or both. See more information here: https://www.brunel.ac.uk/research/Research-degrees/Research-degree-funding. The UK Government is also offering Doctoral Student Loans for eligible students, and there is some funding available through the Research Councils. Many of our international students benefit from funding provided by their governments or employers. Brunel alumni enjoy tuition fee discounts of 15%.

Meet the Supervisor(s)

Ezgi Merdin Uygur - Ezgi (PhD, MBA, BA (Hons), FHEA) is a Lecturer in Digital Marketing within the Marketing Division within Brunel Business  School.  Her primary research interest has focused on the contexts of robotic services, virtual experiences, and the social influence effects in those settings. Ezgi published in international academic journals, such as Annals of Tourism Research,  Journal of Consumer Behaviour, and Behaviour & Information Technology. She is the recipient of prestigious funds such as the British Academy/Leverhulme and Marketing Trust and the Best Paper Award in the AMA Winter Conference. Her research was mentioned in prestigious media outlets such as the Conversation and Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR). She currently serves in the Editorial Review Board of Psychology & Marketing.

Related Research Group(s)

Marketing and Corporate Brand Management - Our research-active faculty are engaged in cutting-edge applied scholarship across a broad spectrum of marketing areas.

Marketing and Corporate Brand Management - copy - Our research-active faculty are engaged in cutting-edge applied scholarship across a broad spectrum of marketing areas.