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Using a single case study of a multinational industrial organization, this article examines the journey of a large technology manufacturer from goods-dominant logic to service-dominant logic. The findings indicate that four external factors – investors, competing forces in the market, customers and technological advancements – drive this reconfiguration. In addition, the study discusses four propositions that support the internal transformation process: First, a formal redefinition process of corporate cultural values facilitates the transformation to service-dominant logic. Second, new value creation practices in separate settings help transformation proceed more quickly. Third, restricting the transformation to deliberately selected markets and to complementary business models mitigates the risk of resistance. Fourth, setting the company in a pivotal position in the ecosystem leverages existing strengths. The results bring empirical insights to a research discussion that to date has been predominantly shaped by theoretical contributions. With this paper, we provide a contribution to the quest for more midrange theories in further developing the service-dominant logic of marketing.

In business-to-business markets, customers can use a supplier's perceived country of origin as a cue in assessing that supplier; this inference making results in stereotypical supplier evaluation criteria which are the basis for country-of-origin evaluations. To date, these criteria have not been established properly by an empirical study. Using a qualitative approach, the current study uncovers a fuller picture of the stereotypical criteria behind this inference. Using the repertory grid method, the authors interview 30 purchasing agents from car manufacturers in three European countries. Through this empirical study, they outline a system of nine categories that are conceptually examined and result in the conclusion that stereotypical supplier evaluation criteria reflect a customer-perceived interpretation of suppliers' organizational competences.

Through 31 in-depth interviews with customers and providers of knowledge-intensive business service solutions, this article explores their view on customers' contribution to value (co)-creation. First, the study defines five internal factors that prompt customers to engage with providers for value (co)-creation and discusses unique factors that influence how customers define their needs before engaging a solution provider. In addition, the study suggests extending the known solution process by proposing the problem and need definition phase to reflect the customer's early activities. The results support the theory that customers define their typical needs not only to aid them in selecting the right provider but also to use their awareness of possible issues to guide the solution process. Providers benefit from this definition in that they gain a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities in the process. Second, the study identifies eight variables that typically enable value (co)-creation. The findings show that customers should focus their activities on those variables and providers should identify possible customer shortcomings so that they can compensate for them.

In recent years, industrial manufacturers around the world have deployed growing efforts in developing services in addition to their traditional product business in order to secure long-term growth and to remain competitive in the marketplace. Against this background, the present article introduces the reader to this special issue. It first recalls key aspects of the emerging service-dominant logic of marketing and examines how it relates to the business marketing field. It then illustrates the challenges faced by top executives of industrial companies in the transition from a product-centric to a service-centric business perspective through an interview with the managing director of ThyssenKrupp Service AG. After discussing how the articles included in this special issue advance the extant literature on industrial services marketing, the article finally develops a number of directions for future research on services in business markets.