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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:
Healthy aging, home support, care continuity, hospitality, professional services, health and social care services, franchising, service network and system
Related links:

Biography

Jie is dedicated to fostering service excellence for a healthy and fulfilling future, with a focus on sustainability. Her research integrates theories on co-production, corporate social responsibility (CSR), network and platform perspectives, information, and social exchange. She utilizes empirical research methods to explore value co-creation interactions (i.e., service co-production) among networks of service providers and their customers in sectors such as hospitality, professional services, and health & social care. Jie’s research findings have been published in leading journals, including the Journal of Operations Management, Production and Operations Management, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Advertising, Service Science, and Journal of Service Management. Before joining the University of Victoria, Jie was a faculty member at the University of Vermont and had a decade-long career in computing technology service management.

Jie is an active member of POMS, ISA and Prezi Educator Society, and she serves as an En-ROADS climate ambassador. Additionally, she contributes to the academic community by serving on the editorial review boards of the Journal of Operations Management and Service Science. Jie is also a board director of Seniors Serving Seniors, a community-based non-profit organization committed to enhancing the well-being of older adults in the Greater Victoria area. 

Teaching

Courses taught

  • Operations Management (MBA)
  • Organizations in a Changing World (MM)
  • Service Management - Operations (BCom)
  • Business and Sustainability (BCom)
  • Sustainable Development and Circular Economy (BCom)

Selected publications

Journal publications

Lawrence, B. C., Massimino, B., & Zhang, J. (2024). Decay and Recovery of CSR Routines in Franchise Organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 2024-1. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-023-05592-w

Zhang, J., & Shi, L. H. (2023). Developing and testing scales for home support service continuity (HSSC): cross-sectional studies in Canada and UK. BMJ Open, 6.

Zhang, J., Mitchell, C. L., Kushniruk, A., & Guitouni, A. (2022). Facing Disruption: Learning from the Healthcare Supply Chain Responses in British Columbia during COVID-19 Pandemic. Healthcare Management Forum.

Koskela-Huotari, K., Patrício, L., Zhang, J., Karpen, I., Sangiorgi, D., & Anderson, L. (2021). Service system transformation through service design: Linking analytical dimensions and service design approaches. Journal of Business Research, 343–355.

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, 49, 2420–2440.

Hsu, L., Zhang, J., & Lawrence, B. (2020). The Moderating Role of Hotel Type on Advertising Expenditure Returns in Franchised Chains. Journal of Advertising, 49, 575–591.

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

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

  • 2024 - Gustavson Outstanding Performance Recognition

  • 2022 - Gustavson Top 10

  • 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.