In this ongoing series, we profile Ivey’s newest faculty, giving you insights into their work and lives.
Assistant Professor Mike Dixon has always had a keen interest in the hospitality industry, but it was not always from an analytical approach.
During his undergrad in hospitality management, Dixon wanted to own a restaurant. By the time he finished his degree, however, he had been working for a couple years in food services and decided it wasn’t the right fit.
Dixon discovered a newfound passion for data analysis while doing his MBA at the University of Utah. After completing his MBA, he worked at American Express as a data analyst, but he was still looking for more out of his career.
“During that time, I talked to several professors about what it was like to be a professor,” said Dixon. “I kept in close contact with one of my professors who at the time had just got a new job teaching at Cornell University. He convinced me to start the PhD program at Cornell.”
Combining his passion for the service industries and data analysis, Dixon moved to New York where he attended Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration, a unique business school that focuses on hospitality.
After completing his PhD, Dixon taught Operations Management at the Naval Postgraduate School at the Graduate School of Business and Public Policy in Monterey, California for four years. Along with his wife and three children, Dixon made the move from sunny California to London where he now teaches Operations Management to HBAs and Services Management to MBAs.
“What do we think is unique about services as opposed to mainstream manufacturing and production?” Dixon asks his students. “The unique aspect is that the customers are involved in the processes. Whereas often when you think of regular manufacturing, there’s not a customer present while you’re making the product.”
Dixon’s research takes a close look at customers inside a process by looking at the effect of timing on a customer’s experience. Using the famous Nike swoop logo, Dixon illustrates the importance of effectively timing the exciting features of a service or event.
“The beginning is important, and then you come down and build up some momentum through a series of events,” said Dixon. “You want to start and end with a bang.”
To find out more about Dixon’s research, read the February 2016 issue of Impact.
At a Glance
WHO: Mike Dixon, Assistant Professor, Operations Management
PAST OCCUPATION: Dixon previously held the same position at the Naval Postgraduate School at the Graduate School of Business and Public Policy in Monterey California from 2011 to 2015. While attending Cornell University’s S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management for his PhD in Service Operations Management, Dixon also worked as a Graduate Instructor.
RESEARCH INTEREST: Dixon’s research focuses on how customers experience a service over time. In particular, he is interested in knowing if there are more exciting parts of a service and when those should happen (e.g. beginning, middle or end).
FINDINGS: The data from Dixon’s research looks at what he refers to as sequence effects, where his studies revealed that the sequence of how things happen throughout a service or event influence our perception of them.
RELEVANCE: Organizations providing a service to their customers over a period of time can use these results as a guide for implementing sequence effects that enhance the customers’ overall experience.
FUN FACT: To his students, Dixon is known as the “bowtie guy.” Since it’s become his personal trademark, Dixon joked that the students get upset if they see him without one – But he always has a spare bowtie handy.
