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Many companies in the process industries are seeing the advantages of services but are struggling with the changes these require as regards the offering and the organisation. This paper presents an empirical investigation within the pulp and paper industry based on a survey of Swedish manufacturing firms and a multiple case study of three case companies and their customers. To investigate whether the manufacturers active in this industry are product-oriented or are becoming more service-oriented, five themes important to the companies under study are presented and discussed: that is, finding the right mix of physical products and services, the concept of service, business models, technology-based services and organising service delivery.

In today's complex and interconnected marketplace, the study of services and service innovation among multiple actors is an underdeveloped, but a theoretically and managerially relevant research area for enabling value cocreation. Building on general practice theory, the scarce prior service research that has drawn on practice theory, and an empirical study of the Swedish music market, this paper outlines a framework that conceptualizes services and service innovation among multiple actors by focusing on value cocreation practices (VCPs). The framework contributes to service research by conceptualizing services as bundles of VCPs, providing a theoretical foundation for the research that studies services as activities. It also contributes to service research by conceptualizing service innovation as the creation of VCPs. The paper shows how actors' concrete activities, in combination with the valancing of VCPs existing in the market, induce service innovation. A future agenda for research on services and service innovation is also proposed. In addition to these theoretical contributions, the paper offers practical insights into how managers, with the help of the framework, may broaden their focus to include the shared VCPs of the markets to secure a competitive advantage.

In today's complex and interconnected marketplace, the study of services and service innovation among multiple actors is an underdeveloped, but a theoretically and managerially relevant research area for enabling value cocreation. Building on general practice theory, the scarce prior service research that has drawn on practice theory, and an empirical study of the Swedish music market, this paper outlines a framework that conceptualizes services and service innovation among multiple actors by focusing on value cocreation practices (VCPs). The framework contributes to service research by conceptualizing services as bundles of VCPs, providing a theoretical foundation for the research that studies services as activities. It also contributes to service research by conceptualizing service innovation as the creation of VCPs. The paper shows how actors' concrete activities, in combination with the valancing of VCPs existing in the market, induce service innovation. A future agenda for research on services and service innovation is also proposed. In addition to these theoretical contributions, the paper offers practical insights into how managers, with the help of the framework, may broaden their focus to include the shared VCPs of the markets to secure a competitive advantage.

In today's complex and interconnected marketplace, the study of services and service innovation among multiple actors is an underdeveloped, but a theoretically and managerially relevant research area for enabling value cocreation. Building on general practice theory, the scarce prior service research that has drawn on practice theory, and an empirical study of the Swedish music market, this paper outlines a framework that conceptualizes services and service innovation among multiple actors by focusing on value cocreation practices (VCPs). The framework contributes to service research by conceptualizing services as bundles of VCPs, providing a theoretical foundation for the research that studies services as activities. It also contributes to service research by conceptualizing service innovation as the creation of VCPs. The paper shows how actors' concrete activities, in combination with the valancing of VCPs existing in the market, induce service innovation. A future agenda for research on services and service innovation is also proposed. In addition to these theoretical contributions, the paper offers practical insights into how managers, with the help of the framework, may broaden their focus to include the shared VCPs of the markets to secure a competitive advantage.

In today's complex and interconnected marketplace, the study of services and service innovation among multiple actors is an underdeveloped, but a theoretically and managerially relevant research area for enabling value cocreation. Building on general practice theory, the scarce prior service research that has drawn on practice theory, and an empirical study of the Swedish music market, this paper outlines a framework that conceptualizes services and service innovation among multiple actors by focusing on value cocreation practices (VCPs). The framework contributes to service research by conceptualizing services as bundles of VCPs, providing a theoretical foundation for the research that studies services as activities. It also contributes to service research by conceptualizing service innovation as the creation of VCPs. The paper shows how actors' concrete activities, in combination with the valancing of VCPs existing in the market, induce service innovation. A future agenda for research on services and service innovation is also proposed. In addition to these theoretical contributions, the paper offers practical insights into how managers, with the help of the framework, may broaden their focus to include the shared VCPs of the markets to secure a competitive advantage.

In today's complex and interconnected marketplace, the study of services and service innovation among multiple actors is an underdeveloped, but a theoretically and managerially relevant research area for enabling value cocreation. Building on general practice theory, the scarce prior service research that has drawn on practice theory, and an empirical study of the Swedish music market, this paper outlines a framework that conceptualizes services and service innovation among multiple actors by focusing on value cocreation practices (VCPs). The framework contributes to service research by conceptualizing services as bundles of VCPs, providing a theoretical foundation for the research that studies services as activities. It also contributes to service research by conceptualizing service innovation as the creation of VCPs. The paper shows how actors' concrete activities, in combination with the valancing of VCPs existing in the market, induce service innovation. A future agenda for research on services and service innovation is also proposed. In addition to these theoretical contributions, the paper offers practical insights into how managers, with the help of the framework, may broaden their focus to include the shared VCPs of the markets to secure a competitive advantage.

This paper focuses on the role of sustainability as a driving force for transformation and societal innovation to meet a new global landscape for sustainable business, using societal and environmental challenges as part of the business model. There is a new business landscape we have to face (Normann, 2001), which requires an understanding of how business and societal innovation can be problematized and understood in real context and in a broader and transcendental view of business logics (Enquist et al, 2015) not firm centric but rather from societal perspective (Laczniak and Murphy, 2012). To get a deeper understanding what Transformation-Agenda (The Agenda-2030) means for transformative change, we have looked into real contexts of two enterprises: IKEA, the world leading furniture enterprise; and Löfbergs, family owned coffee roaster in North Europe. Löfbergs is a global actor in coffee & climate transformation. These companies have setting up a transformation agenda by engaging with the small holders at the bottom of the supply chain and by setting for up global initiatives, as pioneers. A transition to sustainability can only attained by combining technology with deep system innovations and lifestyle changes (Rockström and Klum, 2015; p. 133). Primary data for this study was collected through in-depth interviews and a dialogue. This paper contributes to crafting a holistic approach for societal innovation through a feasible and proactive transformation to meet societal and sustainable business challenges. Sustainable innovation will be used as a platform (Nidumolu et al, 2009) to create new services and new business models and develop sustainability for society.

The paper departs from research on Public Service Dominant Logic (PSDL) to advance a framework of service innovation for the public sector. It continues the incorporation of Service-Dominant Logic (SDL) concepts that has been initiated by PSDL research to the public management domain, in particular the notions of resource integration and value propositions is incorporated to PSDL, and builds a conceptual framework of Public Service Innovation (PSI). This framework consist of three resource integration processes, users value creation in use, users and personnel's' value cocreation in direct interaction and internal value facilitation, and suggest that these three processes contribute to service innovation by integrating resources into value propositions. Through an empirical study of primary care the paper finds that the framework describes how PSI is conducted in practice in the public management domain. The paper contributes to articulate a PSDL-based service innovation framework. It also contributes by grounding this framework in an empirical study. In addition, it contributes by elaborating PSDL in such a way that may be drawn on to study public service innovation.

The objective of the paper is to look deeper on how these emergent and fast growing factors affect the relationship between ethical dilemma and governance in a newly industrialised country from the corruption and bribery aspect. The paper is explorative in nature. It identifies the need for new governance thinking, based on stakeholder and stewardship theories and transparency as well as its impacts in reducing corruption. The empirical study involves multiple qualitative case studies of multinational corporations of transparency and governance in China (5 cases of multinational companies, and 1 corporate governance code). In this paper, we are not arguing on the role of governance as a control or reporting initiative for corruption, but its role to shun institutional weakness in reducing corruption and resource integration. The study will reveal the challenges of transforming the role of governance in fighting corruption. Strong governance system is a vital component of company efforts to reinforce the right incentives and practices and to address the corrupted practices that they confront and defy ethical dilemma. Governance takes account of all the interests that affect the viability, competence and moral character of an enterprise. Thus, the present results indicate, not only the positive relationship between governance and corruption, but also reveal the characteristics of dynamic governance thinking within a broader governance framework for developing values based service business. Future research in this area should focus on generalizing the present findings by studying the development and integration of governance and clearing the dilemma in other empirical settings and conceptualization, for instance developed economies. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Although resource integration plays a vital role in value co-creation not much attention has been on defining, conceptualizing and theorizing this phenomenon within Service dominant logic. The focus has so far been on actors' knowledge and skills, but not on how motivation drives actors in their resource integration. By bringing theories of motivation to resource integration process, this paper extends the conceptualization of resource integration within service dominant logic to encompass drivers of actors' activities including factors affecting the prioritizing and intensity of effort, and sustainability of the service ecosystem. This paper offers eight premises that conceptualize resource integration in value co-creation processes.

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to provide a deeper understanding of ISO26000 towards reporting on corporate social responsibility and the drive to go beyond for values based governance thinking. The objective of this paper is to examine whether the process of organizational change in implementing the environmental and quality standards can act as a driving force for sustainable development (SD) and value creation and role of ISO26000 as “facilitator” for reporting it. Understanding how social responsibility as a business practice is institutionalized in organizations and the continuous improvement thinking of quality improvements is deemed essential in securing sustainable service business in which social and environmental perspectives and governance issues are embedded. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopts a qualitative research approach, using multiple case studies to undertake an analysis of the role of ISO26000 and the drive to go beyond for sustainable service business in different contexts of globally integrated retail business, manufacturing organization and public transit service. Three case studies, one each of global retail business (IKEA), manufacturing organization (Löfbergs) and regional public transit (SL/Nobina), are selected. Findings – The paper demonstrates that “Beyond ISO26000”, as driving force for CSR and Quality Management towards co-creating value, contributes to securing sustainable service business embedded on social and environmental perspectives and governance issues. It has been shown this based on “why and how” - by understanding how “facilitating and unpredictability” are shaping business models to secure sustainable service business. The study has also shown “shared responsibility” is essential for understanding that environment quality standards and reporting CSR are not merely systems of command and control, but are essential for resource integration to secure sustainable service business development. R

Purpose – The paper aims to synthesize some key insights from social network theory and systems thinking to better understand the existence and dynamics of institutional complexity – the source of institutional change and innovation – in service ecosystems. Design/Methodology/approach – This conceptual paper integrates insights from social network theory (e.g., Burt, 1992; Granovetter, 1973) and systems thinking (e.g. Simon, 1996) to elaborate the service ecosystems perspective on institutional complexity and innovation. Findings – S-D logic and its service ecosystem perspective (Lusch and Vargo, 2014; Vargo and Akaka, 2012; Vargo et al., 2015) imply that value is created by systems consisting of actors who fundamentally do the same thing: cocreate value by exchanging and integrating resources (Vargo and Lusch, 2011). This view results in a systemic notion of value cocreation that highlights the role of institutions as the ‘glue’ of service ecosystems that both enables and constrains value cocreation (Edvardsson et al., 2014; Vargo and Akaka, 2012). In this paper, we extend the service ecosystems perspective on innovation as institutional change in value cocreation by elaborating the dynamics of institutional complexity – the coexistence and interaction of numerous and partially conflicting institutional arrangements – crucial for agency and change in service ecosystems (Siltaloppi et al., 2014). Building on the notions of ‘weak ties’, ‘structural holes’ and ‘near-decomposability’ as well as the triadic view inherent in them, the paper argues that service ecosystems can be seen as complex systems characterized by near-decomposability. This implies that parts or subsystems of service ecosystem(s) interact with one another with varying frequency and tie ‘strengths’ resulting in inconsistencies and incompatibility of institutional arrangements between the subsystems that causes institutional complexity especially as actors can be simultaneously embedded in several subs

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to asses and analyze how service innovation enables sustainable business model (SBM) development through resource integration/value co-creation, which is embedded on social and environmental perspectives. The objective is to look deeper on how resources are integrated and value is co-created within the service system for a SBM development based on public transit (PT) context. Design/methodology/approach: The paper will be of an explorative nature. It is built around three concepts - (i) service innovation (ii), business models and (iii) Sustainability. Business models and resource integration for sustainable public transport services are allow us to deeply assess drivers of change based on these concepts. The paper will illustrates these concepts with three different PT cases from Gothenburg- Sweden, Cape Town-South Africa, and Jakarta-Indonesia.The focus is Volvo Bus Corporation (VBC) based on these three different case studies around the globe to understand the service system and developing a SBM. Findings: The study will reveal that service innovation is a way of building a coherent SBM embedded in social and environmental contexts for integrating resources and creating value. This leads towards new understanding and strategies of the shift from and beyond providing buses to providing services and to new sustainable business models. The study is not to be the design of a new system, but to utilize the influence of the demand for sustainable system, which has thus contributed to the service research and sustainability discussions. Research limitations/implications: Future research in this area should focus on generalizing the present findings by studying the development and integration of SBM thinking in other empirical settings and conceptualization. Originality/value: The paper makes an original contribution to the study of public transit by explicitly linking the adoption of SBM and service innovation based on sustainab

Purpose: The main aim of this paper is to explore the organizational and institutional issues for innovation to co-create value by focusing on the influence of public policy and the implementation mechanism, which contributes to a more sustainable public transport system development. The objective is to explore sustainable public transit innovation and development in the Chinese context and answer the research questions: how sustainability public policy is influencing innovation and what is the role of service innovation in integrating local sustainable public transport development with or without conflict between central and local interests. Methodology/approach: The paper is of explorative nature. It presents different theoretical concepts - (i) Sustainability and sustainable public transit, (ii) Service innovation, and (iii) value creation/co-creation. The paper illustrates these concepts in an in-depth case study of Changzhou Bus Rapid Transit system in China. Critical case study method is employed in this paper to understand the role of policy for integrating sustainability and innovation. The decision-making process of the local transport authorities in Changzhou is assessed and analyzed against the theoretical framework, which explores the joint working practices in public policy sector and its influence in service innovation and sustainable public transit development. Findings: The study outlines the Chinese policy context in terms of responsibilities, powers and resources available to local transport authorizes, and articulates the tools of government that applied to affect a more sustainable public transit system with the goals of improving environment and meet stakeholder demands. Policies are important in the case of China. Policy integration in urban public transit development enhances the public transport services, drives service innovation and influences the environmental and social patterns. Research limitations/implications: The single case-study

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to provide a deeper understanding of a value network and the complexity of context in a value-in-cultural context for co-creating value. Understanding the complexity of context on how value is “networked” and “co-created” in the value-in-cultural context by what we will call “micro environmental flexibility” in specific contextual setting, which is deemed essential in securing sustainable business of social and environmental perspectives and cultural issues are embedded. This can thus ultimately overcome the major challenges. In this paper, we discuss micro environmental flexibility in a value network based on resource integration, which is good for customers and other stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopts a qualitative approach, using single in-depth case study to undertake an analysis of micro environmental flexibility in a value network based on the complexity of context of value-in-cultural context. The city of Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina and together with the Greater Buenos Aires home to a population of about 12,800,000 inhabitants where 48% of the people that work in the city don’t live in the city proper. The paper further assesses the theoretical framework and concepts complexity of context of value-in-cultural context in service research. Findings: The paper raises the issue of the complexity of context of value-in-cultural context in a value network and suggests the need to adopt micro environmental flexibility. Micro environmental flexibility means that even within a same city, regional differences (e.g. commercial versus residential) are vital as they involve different stakeholders. As a result diverse resource integrations take place, leading to different value co-creations. The take away is that in order not to confuse flexibility with chaos it is essential to have a clear goal, which acts as the ultimate benchmark. Research limitations/implications: The single case-study design

Part of the growing impact of new liberal economic market rationality is an increasing demand of religious organizations to establish partnerships or contracts with the state. Deregulation and liberalization of (public) welfare services in Sweden has since the 1990s resulted in greater attention to civil society as a resource in welfare provision. While the previous state-based welfare model advocated financial solidarity and equal rights to welfare services, the new marked-based model is based on the idea of the individual's right to freedom of choice and accepts different individual financial capacities. From being advocates for a comprehensive welfare system equal for all, religious organizations are presently invited and enrolled as contracted parts of a system accepting inequality in welfare provision related to the financial capacity of the individual. Indications from previous research show that tensions between their identity and the implicit values of contractual relationships may lead to enforced limitation of the specific profile and qualities of religious organizations which at an initial stage was an important part of the distinctive value of their contribution as social agents, as perceived by both parties. A reduction of the religious organizations profile may be caused by e.g. a demand for professionalization of the contracted services, a demand for toning down the religious profile or a demand for accepting values in conflict with its core values. This paper discusses the short term and long term consequences for religious organizations identity and freedom by entering into partnership or contract with public authorities. One specific question is if these relationships are new forms of state-religion regulation? The paper build on results from the research project Welfare and Religion in a European Perspective (WREP) and a recent pilot study in Sweden analysing formal contracts and written agreements of partnership between religious organizations an, The Impact of Religion: Challenges for Society, Law and Democracy

Purpose – The aim of this article is to introduce values linked to Corporate Governance (CG) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) through S-D logic by focusing on how values shape actors’ resource integration, value co-creation and the resulting value-in-context. The focus is on how values enables and constrains the creation of value-in-context and thus a sustainable service business. We also focus on the interdependencies between CG and CSR to describe and analyse how core company values are embedded the company’s social and environmental responsibilities, which are aligned with customers’ and other stakeholders’ values. Methodology/approach – Based on a literature review and interpretations of three comparative case studies of values-based companies (IKEA, H&M and Starbucks), the paper draws together a conceptual analysis of how corporate governance and CSR are of great importance in ‘converting’ values into capabilities and value-creating actions. The present exploratory study undertakes an investigation of the role of CG and CSR as resources in S-D logic. Findings – The results show how the integration of corporate governance, social and environmental responsibility, and the norms and values of a dynamic company culture contribute to resource integration, value co-creation and a deeper understanding of value-in-context. The study also shows that mere recognition of the actors viewed as a social resource integrating other actors. This is to allow full integration of resources in the companies’ value networks, especially in the contemporary globalised world. The paper contributes by showing how values linked to CG and CSR shape actors’ resource integration within service and social systems and thus value co-creation and the resulting value-in-context. Research implications – The notion that a service culture, grounded in company core values based on CG and CSR, drives business development has not been empirically examined in any great detail. There

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand and analyze the contextualization of value co-creation in the endogenous context. Analyzing how the five activities of value co-creation process are contextualized in a specific context can provide a better and deeper understanding for co-creating value with endogenous social and cultural values and norms. In this paper, value co-creation is contextualized in the public transport context from the Chinese perspective. Methodology/approach – This paper adopts a qualitative approach to analyze and understand the contextualization of value co-creation in endogenous context, using multiple case studies of the public transport from China: Zhengzhou and Chengdu public transport services. Discussing the contextualization of value co-creation process with the five activities, i.e. customer engagement, self-service, customer experience, problem-solving, and co-designing, allows us to explain and understand value co-creation in the Chinese endogenous context. Findings – This paper illustrates that contextualization of value co-creation in the endogenous context contributes to service business development. In this paper the five activities of value co-creation is integrating the concepts of value-in-social-context and value-in-cultural-context in different specific contexts, with endogenous social and cultural norms and values. This paper reveals the importance of contextualizing value co-creation process and the significant impacts of endogenous social and cultural issues in specific context, for better, easier, and more effective value co-creation. Originality/value – This paper makes original contributions to the ongoing discussion in service research, especially service-dominant logic (S-D logic) in endogenous thinking and the concepts of value-in-social-context and value-in-cultural-context. In service research, the main theoretical challenges are understanding and integrating endogenous thinking in specific contexts, wh

Purpose – The main aim of this paper is to assess and analyze the role of value network for sustainable service business embedded social and environmental perspectives in the emerging economies. The objective is to study how resources are integrated and value networked to create and co-create value for customers and other stakeholders, thus develop a framework for achieving sustainable service by considering not only the economic aspects, but also quality of life and societal well-being. It is important to understand the interdependence of value network and sustainability and discuss how stakeholders integrate resources through interactions, communications and dialogues to co-create and network value within the public transit context. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative approach is adopted in this study to better understand the interdependence between value network and sustainable service business embedded in social and environmental perspectives. The empirical is designed as a critical case study. The paper presents three concepts - (i) value co-creation and value network (ii) resource integration and (iii) sustainable business with social and environmental focuses on public transit. Then, the paper demonstrates these concepts through a case study of Zhengzhou Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in Henan Province, China. The case study is used to analyze and gain an in-depth understanding of value network and sustainable service by contextualizing it in the real life context. Findings – The study is expected to come across and demonstrate that the integrating of value network and value co-creation embedded in social and environmental perspectives is to secure sustainable service business. This is achieved by developing a framework that integrates value network and sustainable value creation by analysing value co-creation, value network, resource integration and sustainability, which the empirical setting is coming from the public transit sector. This framework

This study is of an explorative nature based on six Globally Integrated Enterprises - GIEs (Palmisano, 2006), which can be seen as values based service companies (Pruzan, 1998; Edvardsson and Enquist, 2009). These six enterprises are: Ericson, IBM, IKEA, Volvo, Tetra Pack and Unilever. To further understand the methodological approach we look into different business logics. Vargo (2007) use the label transcendence to explain the logic of value creation. Enquist et. al. (2014) have further investigated this concept of transcendence for Business Logics and argue that it is a need not only for one single business logic. There are several business logics such as Exchange logic; Steering logic; Value creation logic; Business interaction logic; Responsibility logic; and Communication logic (Ibid). In this paper, we will, in an explorative way take this a step further and combine these business logics (Enquist et. al., 2014) with values based service thinking (Edvardsson and Enquist, 2009) and look for values based governance driven by SD-Logic for sustainable business in value networks or eco systems. For “evolving service for a complex, resilient, and sustainable world” the paper address interlink between corporate governance, corporate social responsibility and business models based on values based and triple bottom line thinking. Understanding how value is “networked” and “co-created” by “steering and navigating” in specific contextual settings is deemed essential in securing sustainable service business in which social and environmental perspectives and governance issues are embedded (Enquist et. al., 2014).

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore why innovative service ecosystems scale up, using a service-dominant logic lens. The focus is on identifying the key drivers of the scaling-up process as the basis for a new conceptual framework on the scaling up of service innovations. Design/methodology/approach - An inductive research design is used to zoom in on two innovative service ecosystems, Eataly and KidZania, to identify the key drivers that can explain why innovations scale up. For both companies, the triangulation of semi-structured interviews, archival sources and in-store observations is used as complementary data sets. Multiple investigators and multiple coders have been involved in the data collection, coding process and analysis. Findings - An extended conceptualization of service innovation is obtained, grounded in a framework of four drivers of scaling up: effectuation as the basis for creating the value proposition; sensing and adapting to local contexts; the reconfiguration and alignment of resources and forms for collaboration between actors; and values' resonance. Originality/value - This study represents one of the first empirical investigations of the key drivers of the scaling up process of service innovations. The paper contributes with a conceptualization of service innovation and why scaling-up processes emerge, emphasizing the existence of multiple constellations of four drivers.

Our research contributes to the emerging topic on the role of corporate governance (CG) towards corruption. Since the 1990s, the term CG has come into everyday usage in business and financial communities (Carlsson, 2001; Malin, 2010) and is becoming a global phenomenon focusing on securing shareholder value (Carlsson, 2001; Enquist et al., 2006) and stakeholder value. In parallel with this trend, transparency and discloser has also become familiar in the corporate world, and is a global phenomenon in the 21st century. The emergence of corporate governance as tool for tackling financial crises and corporate scandals has created the need for wider transparency. Existing research concentrates on corporate governance and its development, but rather neglects the gap towards assessing fundamental institutional weaknesses, and corruption in the private sector. Moreover, as Wu (2005) argues that there is a negligance of the supply side of corruption in literature and states the need for more investigation regarding the understanding of the relationship between corruption and corporate governance. Taking these factors into account, doing research on the relationship between corruption and corporate governance in a industrialised country from the aspect of the supply-side, seemed justifiable. This paper identifies the need for new governance thinking, based on stewardship and transparency and its impacts in reducing corruption. The empirical study involves five qualitative case studies of transparency and disclosure in Germany (2 cases on disclosure and reporting of multinational companies, 2 cases of transparency of non business organizations, and 1 corporate governance code). In this paper we are not arguing on the role of CG as control or reporting initiative for corruption, but its role to shun institutional weakness on reducing corruption. Accordingly, our research question can be formulated in the following way: what is the role of corporate governance in prote

In this paper, we revisit a seminal research contribution by Russo and Leclerc [1994], which identified three stages of the consumer choice process; (1) orientation, (2) evaluation, and (3) verification. Their three stage model broke with previous research favoring two stage models and it disconfirmed the models of planned analysis of choice in favor of an adaptive and constructive process [Wedel and Pieters 2008]. The aim of this paper is to replicate the original study by Russo and Leclerc [1994] to better understand the characteristics of the different stages of the consumer choice process. We argue that such a replication is needed due to the advancements in the technology of eye-tracking during the last 15 years and the detrimental effects of think-aloud protocols. In general, our replication of the research by Russo and Leclerc [1994] confirms the three stage model they suggested by, but we identify some noteworthy differences regarding the time it takes to make a decision and the mean observation time in the three stages

This paper focuses on composed service systems (CSS), when a macro-entity - such as resorts, malls or universities - offers a range of services provided by several businesses. The aim is to understand how customers create value and combine their own resources with the resources offered by providers. A qualitative study was conducted in the context of mountain resorts during the summer season, tourists were interviewed during their stay. The analysis identifies three main categories of value drivers: activities, interactions and others. The analysis also reveals that tourists appreciate business-organised activities (restaurant, sport club…) as well as self-organised activities (picnic, hiking …). They combine their own resources with the ones of the various providers and of the resort (nature, walking paths …). The paper contributes to a new empirically based conceptualisation of customers’ resource integration and value co-creation. We emphasize value drivers in the continuum provider-defined/customer-defined value co-creation processes and what this requires in terms of design of a supporting CSS. The conclusion argues that the findings can apply to any CSS and pave the way for service innovation.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of ordinary employees in service innovation. Departing from the service-dominant (S-D) logic, service innovation is conceptualized as a resource integration process leading to the creation of value propositions. Methodology The paper reports on a case study of service development at three different organizations. Twenty ordinary employees were interviewed. Ordinary employees are defined as those lacking a formal innovation obligation, e.g. frontline employees. These normally have knowledge of both the customers’ needs and the firm’s ability to realize these. Findings The findings suggest that ordinary employees contribute to service innovation by test-driving resource integrations and potential value propositions. Specifically, the findings suggest that ordinary employees use three different ways of test-driving resources: Cognitive test-driving; Test-driving in practice, and Discursive test-driving. Although the findings suggest that these ways of test-driving resources are intertwined, they also suggest that parts of the innovation process are dominated by one of these. Research limitations/implications This article is based on a case study of three organizations, thus limiting the possibility of statistical generalization. Originality/value The study is novel in several respects: (i) it introduces the notion of resource test-driving; (ii) it provides a systematic empirical analysis of how ordinary employees contribute to service innovation through test-driving resource integrations and new value propositions; (iii) it offers an S-D logic informed service innovation model; (iv) it contributes to the S-D logic by detailing how resource integration takes place in practice.

This paper investigates the contribution of involving patients for ideation of service innovation in the healthcare context by addressing the following two main research questions: (Q1) What can patients contribute with when invited to contribute with new ideas for improving primary care? and (Q2) How should patient involvement be managed – should they be involved with, or without, healthcare employee involvement? The research questions were addressed by a one-year longitudinal study of ‘innovation groups’ aimed at creating ideas to improve primary care centers. A longitudinal quasi-experimental approach was deployed consisting of three different settings with varying composition of the innovation group: 1) only healthcare employees, 2) only patients, 3) a mix of healthcare employees and patients. In total 180 ideas for service innovation were reported and assessed by four experienced experts using a web-based questionnaire including 8 assessment dimensions and a free text space, inviting the experts to comment on the idea. In addition, individual interviews were conducted which served the purpose of exploring healthcare employees’ value creation when generating ideas together with patients. The study shows that patient involvement during service innovation ideation brings a patient perspective to healthcare. The findings reveal that patient–healthcare employee interactions positively contribute to healthcare employees’ use knowledge as they started to refocus their ideas more towards the patient perspective. Further the study contributes by showing that patient involvement needs to be a focused and dedicated activity towards innovation as, for example, an innovation group, to bring a patient perspective during idea creation.

This paper investigates the dynamicity and complexity of service eco systems by demonstrating the public transit service eco-system in resilient and living cities (city regions). In particular, it explores the main theoretical and empirical challenges on how to understand the dynamic and transformative service eco-system, by developing and implementing a feasible and proactive tool. To develop a service ecosystem and implement it requires an S-D logic perspective with input from societal and environmental encounters to expand the micro, meso and macro levels by addressing the complex situation of public transit services in transforming cities in Sweden (Malmo), France (Paris) and South Africa (Cape Town).

Purpose - The extant new service development (NSD) literature tends to assume that the key practices for NSD identified in one context apply for all services, and has failed to sufficiently consider differences in NSD between service types. The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of NSD across different service types. Design/methodology/approach - An extensive, cross-sectoral survey was conducted in seven countries. Data from 1,333 NSD projects were analyzed to empirically derive a service typology and examine if and how different types of services vary in terms of NSD resources, practices, methods, and results. Findings - Based on six service characteristics, the study identifies four service types: routine-intensive, technology-intensive, contact-intensive, and knowledge-intensive services. The study also identifies specific NSD resources, practices, methods, and results that are prevalent across the service typology. The evidence indicates that the use of advanced practices and methods differs dramatically between service types. Practical implications - The paper enables practitioners to expand their current understanding on NSD by providing insights into the variability of NSD across service types. The results suggest that either service-type-specific models or a configurable model for NSD should be developed. Originality/value - This study provides one of the first empirically derived service typologies for NSD. The study demonstrates that NSD resources, practices, methods, and results differ across service types, thereby challenging the "one size fits all" assumption evident in current NSD research.

Despite the widespread adoption of the justice framework in service recovery literature, research findings vary as to what dimension - distributive, interactional, procedural - is most important. This paper contributes to this debate by considering how an easily accessible variable like relationship activity (i.e., the frequency of visiting and purchasing from a company) moderates the impact of the justice dimensions on post-recovery customer outcomes. Findings show that distributive justice is the only dimension impacting word-of-mouth (WOM) and repurchase behavior for low- and medium-relationship-activity customer segments. For a high-relationship-activity segment, all justice dimensions have a positive and balanced impact on WOM and/or repurchase behavior. This research demonstrates the potential of a segmented approach for recovery, while also providing managers with valuable insights into how they can use readily available information to adapt their service recovery efforts.

Despite the widespread adoption of the justice framework in service recovery literature, research findings vary as to what dimension - distributive, interactional, procedural - is most important. This paper contributes to this debate by considering how an easily accessible variable like relationship activity (i.e., the frequency of visiting and purchasing from a company) moderates the impact of the justice dimensions on post-recovery customer outcomes. Findings show that distributive justice is the only dimension impacting word-of-mouth (WOM) and repurchase behavior for low- and medium-relationship-activity customer segments. For a high-relationship- activity segment, all justice dimensions have a positive and balanced impact on WOM and/or repurchase behavior. This research demonstrates the potential of a segmented approach for recovery, while also providing managers with valuable insights into how they can use readily available information to adapt their service re-covery efforts.

In contemporary innovation management literature there is limitedcomprehensive understanding regarding how different domains andfactors affect and bias early assessment of new product/service ideas.This paper aims at reviewing domains that previous research hasidentified affecting the evaluation of an idea and compiles them into aconceptual framework, and to test this framework among leading expertsand practitioners in the field of idea management. Empirical findings fromtwo workshops indicate that the identified domains in the framework areindeed relevant, but that additional aspect are highlighted and recognized by practitioners. We note that a proactive and deliberate approach to idea assessment needs to be carefully designed, attending to all factors in the presented framework in a comprehensive manner, while taking the organization's specific innovation needs and demands into account.

Purpose:The aim of this paper is to assess and analyze how sustainable public transit services contribute to building a values based service eco-system for living cities and city regions value network and resource integration/value co-creation, which is embedded on societal and environmental perspectives. The objective is to look deeper on how the two cities in Europe Stockholm and Paris are put together the values based service eco system for escalating cities for people by focusing on societal and environmental issues, which bio-sphere is integrated in the eco-system in the way value is co-created within the service system. The main theoretical and empirical challenges are how to understand public transport as dynamic and transformative values based service eco-system for living city regions, to develop and implement a feasible and proactive tool for changing the mind-set. Service ecosystems need shared institutions (rules) to function effectively and coordinate activities among actors (Lusch and Vargo, 2014). These institutions have to cooperate in service ecosystems based on shared values and shared meanings (Edvardsson and Enquist, 2009). Public Transport as a dynamic and transformative values based service eco-system is about the role of governmental agencies and other stakeholders in the network (Enquist and Johnson, 2013). It also is part of moving towards transformational action from incremental progress for shaping sustainable business in an inclusive way (Williams, 2014). Theoretical Frame work:Cities are holistic services (Spohrer 2010) that provide all of the essentials for a modern quality of life (Shirahada and Fisk, 2012). The challenges cities are facing is related to transformation that embedded on mobility, social and environmental perspectives. It is part of the overall Bio-sphere (Rockström and Klum, 2015) of transforming our world in the new sustainability agenda - a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity is the UN Sustainable Develop

The purpose of this work-in-progress paper is to further the understanding of how markets function and evolve. We do so by elaborating and extending the recent conceptualization of markets as institutionalized solutions of value cocreation proposed by service-dominant (S-D) logic. To better understand how markets as institutionalized solutions evolve, we draw on literature that connects institutional change to the process of framing. We contribute by theorizing how micro-level changes - i.e. organization-specific differences in framing of e.g. a resource or a role - can become amplified and result in macro-level transformation such as market evolution. We develop a theoretical framework describing how markets as institutionalized solutions evolve as actors use institutional complexity - the existence of multiple institutional arrangements and the corresponding patterns of value cocreation - to create alternative frames to interpret situations and guide individual action and then diffuse the novel frames with the help of different types of frame alignment processes. We also describe how we plan to complement our theoretical inquiry with empirical research that we have recently begun.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of institutions and institutional complexity in the process through which resources-in-context get their “resourceness.” Design/methodology/approach – To shed light on the process of potential resources gaining their “resourceness,” the authors draw from two streams of literature: the service ecosystems perspective and institutional theory. Findings – The authors combine the process of resources “becoming” with the concept of institutions and conceptualize institutional arrangements, and the unique sets of practices, symbols and organizing principles they carry, as the sense-making frames of the “resourceness” of potential resources. In service ecosystems, numerous partially conflicting institutional arrangements co-exit and provide actors with alternative frames of sense-making and action, enabling the emergence of new instances of “resourceness”. Research limitations/implications – The paper suggests that “resourceness” is inseparable from the complex institutional context in which it arises. This conceptualization reveals the need for more holistic, systemic and multidisciplinary perspectives on understanding the implications of the process of resources “becoming” on value co creation, innovation and market formation. Practical implications – As the “resourceness” of potential resources arises due to the influence of institutions, managers need a more profound understanding of the complimentary and inhibiting institutional arrangements and the related practices, symbols and organizing principles that comprise the multidimensional context in which they operate. Originality/value – This paper is one of the first to focus specifically on the process of resources “becoming,” using a systemic and institutional perspective to grasp the complexity of the phenomenon. Paper type Conceptual paper

Despite the popularity and extensive use of engaging users in crowdvoting, very little research has been conducted into the appropriateness of users as substitutes for experts when judging ideas. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the appropriateness of using users as a proxy for professional experts during the initial idea screening of new product/service ideas. In other words, are users' assessments during idea screening conformant with professional experts' assessments and are they reliable as a proxy for experts during idea screening? In a comparative study, two different approaches to outsourcing the screening of wireless ideas to users are examined, including assessment by two different user panels: (1) technically skilled users and (2) technically naïve users. These two approaches were compared with the assessments made by professional experts. The results showed no conformance between users and experts when comparing their absolute scores. However, during a relative comparison (the ranking of ideas), both user panels were conformant with the professional experts. A test of the user panels' ability to select the same top ideas as the professional experts was successful, indicating good conformance between the user panels and the professional experts. This paper's contribution is knowledge of how conformant external users are compared with professional expert judges during idea screening. The results indicate that companies can employ users during the initial screening process using criteria assessment to select the best ideas for further elaboration, something that would significantly reduce the number of ideas. The paper suggests an alternative design to crowdvoting, whereby the users assess the relevant criteria.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature of context and its implications for theory and research in service. Design/methodology/approach - This is a conceptual paper based on exploring existing research and theory related to context in service research. Findings - The characteristics of service make context both important and challenging, there is great contextual diversity in service research as reflected, for example in ecosystems made up of multiple contextual variables. There is a need to identify the context-specific nature of middle range theory and the contextual logic of general theory. The authors explore the challenges of context for service theory and how we might learn from theory in a particular context and test or adapt it in other contexts. Originality/value - The findings of this paper are of value to researchers seeking to develop and justify theory in service research (general, middle range or theory in use).

Despite the popularity and extensive use of engaging users in crowdvoting, very little research has been conducted into the appropriateness of users as substitutes for experts when judging ideas. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the appropriateness of using users as a proxy for professional experts during the initial idea screening of new product/service ideas. In other words, are users' assessments during idea screening conformant with professional experts' assessments and are they reliable as a proxy for experts during idea screening? In a comparative study, two different approaches to outsourcing the screening of wireless ideas to users are examined, including assessment by two different user panels: (1) technically skilled users and (2) technically naïve users. These two approaches were compared with the assessments made by professional experts. The results showed no conformance between users and experts when comparing their absolute scores. However, during a relative comparison (the ranking of ideas), both user panels were conformant with the professional experts. A test of the user panels' ability to select the same top ideas as the professional experts was successful, indicating good conformance between the user panels and the professional experts. This paper's contribution is knowledge of how conformant external users are compared with professional expert judges during idea screening. The results indicate that companies can employ users during the initial screening process using criteria assessment to select the best ideas for further elaboration, something that would significantly reduce the number of ideas. The paper suggests an alternative design to crowdvoting, whereby the users assess the relevant criteria.

Despite the popularity and extensive use of engaging users in crowdvoting, very little research has been conducted into the appropriateness of users as substitutes for experts when judging ideas. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the appropriateness of using users as a proxy for professional experts during the initial idea screening of new product/service ideas. In other words, are users' assessments during idea screening conformant with professional experts' assessments and are they reliable as a proxy for experts during idea screening? In a comparative study, two different approaches to outsourcing the screening of wireless ideas to users are examined, including assessment by two different user panels: (1) technically skilled users and (2) technically naïve users. These two approaches were compared with the assessments made by professional experts. The results showed no conformance between users and experts when comparing their absolute scores. However, during a relative comparison (the ranking of ideas), both user panels were conformant with the professional experts. A test of the user panels' ability to select the same top ideas as the professional experts was successful, indicating good conformance between the user panels and the professional experts. This paper's contribution is knowledge of how conformant external users are compared with professional expert judges during idea screening. The results indicate that companies can employ users during the initial screening process using criteria assessment to select the best ideas for further elaboration, something that would significantly reduce the number of ideas. The paper suggests an alternative design to crowdvoting, whereby the users assess the relevant criteria.

Despite the popularity and extensive use of engaging users in crowdvoting, very little research has been conducted into the appropriateness of users as substitutes for experts when judging ideas. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the appropriateness of using users as a proxy for professional experts during the initial idea screening of new product/service ideas. In other words, are users' assessments during idea screening conformant with professional experts' assessments and are they reliable as a proxy for experts during idea screening? In a comparative study, two different approaches to outsourcing the screening of wireless ideas to users are examined, including assessment by two different user panels: (1) technically skilled users and (2) technically naïve users. These two approaches were compared with the assessments made by professional experts. The results showed no conformance between users and experts when comparing their absolute scores. However, during a relative comparison (the ranking of ideas), both user panels were conformant with the professional experts. A test of the user panels' ability to select the same top ideas as the professional experts was successful, indicating good conformance between the user panels and the professional experts. This paper's contribution is knowledge of how conformant external users are compared with professional expert judges during idea screening. The results indicate that companies can employ users during the initial screening process using criteria assessment to select the best ideas for further elaboration, something that would significantly reduce the number of ideas. The paper suggests an alternative design to crowdvoting, whereby the users assess the relevant criteria.

Despite the popularity and extensive use of engaging users in crowdvoting, very little research has been conducted into the appropriateness of users as substitutes for experts when judging ideas. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the appropriateness of using users as a proxy for professional experts during the initial idea screening of new product/service ideas. In other words, are users' assessments during idea screening conformant with professional experts' assessments and are they reliable as a proxy for experts during idea screening? In a comparative study, two different approaches to outsourcing the screening of wireless ideas to users are examined, including assessment by two different user panels: (1) technically skilled users and (2) technically naïve users. These two approaches were compared with the assessments made by professional experts. The results showed no conformance between users and experts when comparing their absolute scores. However, during a relative comparison (the ranking of ideas), both user panels were conformant with the professional experts. A test of the user panels' ability to select the same top ideas as the professional experts was successful, indicating good conformance between the user panels and the professional experts. This paper's contribution is knowledge of how conformant external users are compared with professional expert judges during idea screening. The results indicate that companies can employ users during the initial screening process using criteria assessment to select the best ideas for further elaboration, something that would significantly reduce the number of ideas. The paper suggests an alternative design to crowdvoting, whereby the users assess the relevant criteria.

This paper presents an eight-firm study, conducted from the service-dominant logic perspective, which makes a contribution regarding knowledge of the anatomy of value propositions and service innovation. The paper suggests that value propositions are configurations of several different practices and resources. The paper finds that ten common practices, organized in three main aggregates, constitute and fulfill value propositions: i.e. provision practices, representational practices, and management and organizational practices. Moreover, the paper suggests that service innovation can be equated with the creation of new value propositions by means of developing existing or creating new practices and/or resources, or by means of integrating practices and resources in new ways. It identifies four types of service innovation (adaptation, resource-based innovation, practice-based innovation, and combinative innovation) and three types of service innovation processes (practice-based, resource-based, and combinative). The key managerial insight provided by the paper is that service innovation must be conducted and value propositions must be evaluated from the perspective of the customers’ value creation, the service that the customer experiences. Successful service innovation is not only contingent on having the right resources, established methods and practices for integrating these resources into attractive value propositions are also needed.

This paper presents an eight-firm study, conducted from the service-dominant logic perspective, which makes a contribution regarding knowledge of the anatomy of value propositions and service innovation. The paper suggests that value propositions are configurations of several different practices and resources. The paper finds that ten common practices, organized in three main aggregates, constitute and fulfill value propositions: i.e. provision practices, representational practices, and management and organizational practices. Moreover, the paper suggests that service innovation can be equated with the creation of new value propositions by means of developing existing or creating new practices and/or resources, or by means of integrating practices and resources in new ways. It identifies four types of service innovation (adaptation, resource-based innovation, practice-based innovation, and combinative innovation) and three types of service innovation processes (practice-based, resource-based, and combinative). The key managerial insight provided by the paper is that service innovation must be conducted and value propositions must be evaluated from the perspective of the customers’ value creation, the service that the customer experiences. Successful service innovation is not only contingent on having the right resources, established methods and practices for integrating these resources into attractive value propositions are also needed.

This paper presents an eight-firm study, conducted from the service-dominant logic perspective, which makes a contribution regarding knowledge of the anatomy of value propositions and service innovation. The paper suggests that value propositions are configurations of several different practices and resources. The paper finds that ten common practices, organized in three main aggregates, constitute and fulfill value propositions: i.e. provision practices, representational practices, and management and organizational practices. Moreover, the paper suggests that service innovation can be equated with the creation of new value propositions by means of developing existing or creating new practices and/or resources, or by means of integrating practices and resources in new ways. It identifies four types of service innovation (adaptation, resource-based innovation, practice-based innovation, and combinative innovation) and three types of service innovation processes (practice-based, resource-based, and combinative). The key managerial insight provided by the paper is that service innovation must be conducted and value propositions must be evaluated from the perspective of the customers’ value creation, the service that the customer experiences. Successful service innovation is not only contingent on having the right resources, established methods and practices for integrating these resources into attractive value propositions are also needed.

This paper presents an eight-firm study, conducted from the service-dominant logic perspective, which makes a contribution regarding knowledge of the anatomy of value propositions and service innovation. The paper suggests that value propositions are configurations of several different practices and resources. The paper finds that ten common practices, organized in three main aggregates, constitute and fulfill value propositions: i.e. provision practices, representational practices, and management and organizational practices. Moreover, the paper suggests that service innovation can be equated with the creation of new value propositions by means of developing existing or creating new practices and/or resources, or by means of integrating practices and resources in new ways. It identifies four types of service innovation (adaptation, resource-based innovation, practice-based innovation, and combinative innovation) and three types of service innovation processes (practice-based, resource-based, and combinative). The key managerial insight provided by the paper is that service innovation must be conducted and value propositions must be evaluated from the perspective of the customers’ value creation, the service that the customer experiences. Successful service innovation is not only contingent on having the right resources, established methods and practices for integrating these resources into attractive value propositions are also needed.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a deeper understanding of transcendence as business logic and to advance value co-creation and value network thinking. The authors are looking for business logic to have wider understanding of sustainable business. Understanding how value is “networked” and “co-created” by what the authors will call “transcendent business logic” in specific contextual settings is deemed essential in securing sustainable business, which social and environmental perspectives and governance issues are embedded. The authors lay the foundation for enriching the transcendence for business logics for a sustainable business based on sustainability, stakeholder-unifying perspective and value creation network theories. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopts a qualitative approach, using multiple case studies to undertake an analysis of the role of transcendence for business logics. Four case studies of private companies and parallel case studies of retail, health care and public organizations (regional public transport networks) are applied. The paper further asses a methodological approach goes beyond the positivistic paradigm in service research to understand the texts and analyze the research materials. This section presents the methodological approach based on transcendence beyond objectivism and relativism and the transformation process of transcendence business logic. Findings – The paper demonstrates that “different business logics” contributes to securing sustainable business embedded on social and environmental perspectives on governance issues. The authors have shown this based on the idea of transcendence, which can be used from a methodological point of view based on a deeper understanding beyond objectivism and relativism. The authors argued in this paper for a methodological path beyond functionalism. The authors are providing a deeper understanding of the business logic; co-creating value for people and developing sustai

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to explore three paradoxes of service innovation and provide a way forward for fresh thinking on the topic. Design/methodology/approach - Through a conceptual model of service innovation research, the authors challenge the "pro-change" bias and explore what can be learnt from the duality of service innovation. Findings - This paper suggests that research moves beyond a firm perspective to study service innovation on multiple levels of abstraction. A conceptual model based on two dimensions, level (individual, organization and society) and outcome (success, failure), is used to pinpoint and explore three dualities of service innovation: adopt-reject, change-static and good-bad. Originality/value - By challenging the traditional perspective on service innovation, the authors present new avenues for fresh thinking in research on service innovation. In this paper, the authors encourage researchers and managers to learn from failures and to acknowledge the negative effects of service innovation.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to contribute knowledge regarding the nature of successful and unsuccessful value co-creation processes between firms and brand communities and the strategies used to address the latter. Design/methodology/approach - The paper draws on a netnographic study of the online collaborative platform known as Alfisti. com, which carmaker Alfa Romeo launched to enhance co-creation with its most devoted consumers, the "Alfisti". Findings - The findings identify three groups of collaborative practices: interacting, identity and organizing practices. The paper details how firm and brand community members enact the elements procedures, understandings and engagements - of collaborative practices and how the alignment of these enactments impacts value co-creation. Research limitations/implications - The paper suggests that co-creation of value succeeds when the enactment of collaborative practices aligns, i.e. when firm and brand community members enact practices in a similar way, and that co-creation fails when the enactment of practices misaligns. Firms and brand communities use three realignment strategies - compliance, interpretation and orientation to address the misalignment and failure of co-creation. The fact that the research draws on a single qualitative case study is a limitation. Practical implications - Managerial implications include using realignment strategies to manage firm-brand community co-creation. Originality/value - Creating an empirical-based framework regarding successful and failing co-creation and how the latter is addressed in the context of brand community makes the paper original.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to encourage the reader to think differently about service-related issues and to strive to conduct service research that makes a transformational impact on individuals, organizations and society. The authors suggest that service researchers are in an excellent position to develop research that matters by making stronger connections with theory and elevating purely applied research to research that is higher in both practical relevance and methodological rigor. Design/methodology/approach - This paper takes a conceptual approach, connecting pertinent literature with new ideas highlighted in this special issue. Findings - This paper proposes that service researchers look beyond traditional service applications, take a multi-disciplinary approach to problem-solving and make greater strides towards connecting theory and practice. The authors propose a Model of Rigorous and Relevant Research, and call for fresh thinking across a wide range of research areas, including enhancing the customer experience, crafting innovation, integrating technology and measuring service outcomes. Originality/value - The originality of this essay lies in its focus on revitalizing the discussion on relevance and rigor as a path forward for service research. Additionally, this paper offers new insights on core management aspects of service provision that provide a solid platform for future work in service research.

Introduction Transformative and integrated transport system for living city regions are given a due slant for the societal and ecological perspective in a response for the many demands especially equality and democratization (Peñalosa, 2014), engagement and environment (Newman et al., 2009). Transformative service includes sustainability for providing a rich opportunity for significant and insightful study that repercussions social, collective and individual well-being (Östrom et. al., 2014 and Anderson et al., 2012). Service ecosystems need shared institutions (rules) to function effectively and coordinate activities among actors (Lusch and Vargo, 2014). These institutions, beside, have to cooperate in service ecosystems based on shared values and shared meanings (Edvardsson and Enquist, 2009). Public Transport as a dynamic and transformative values based service eco-system is about the role of governmental agencies and other stakeholders in the network (Enquist and Johnson, 2013) as part of moving from incremental progress towards transformational action for shaping an inclusive and sustainable business (Williams, 2014) for resilient living cities. The main theoretical and empirical challenges are how to understand public transport as dynamic and transformative values based service eco-system for living city regions to develop and implement a feasible and proactive tool for changing the mindset. This paper is of an explorative comparative study based on the public transport value networks in four city regions – Stockholm, London, Paris, and Singapore. Empirical and Theoretical Framework In this study, we see public transport as a transformative way, which is used as a tool for proactive developing of city regions for living cities (Kallidaikurichi and Yuen, 2010). These cities are in transition for a transformative change (Grin et. al. 2010): dynamic city networks, which learn and innovate (Campell, 2012), resilient infrastructure cities (Newman, 2010) including

This paper presents an eight-firm study, conducted from the service-dominant logic perspective, which makes a contribution regarding knowledge of the anatomy of value propositions and service innovation. The paper suggests that value propositions are configurations of several different practices and resources. The paper finds that ten common practices, organized in three main aggregates, constitute and fulfill value propositions: i.e. provision practices, representational practices, and management and organizational practices. Moreover, the paper suggests that service innovation can be equated with the creation of new value propositions by means of developing existing or creating new practices and/or resources, or by means of integrating practices and resources in new ways. It identifies four types of service innovation (adaptation, resource-based innovation, practice-based innovation, and combinative innovation) and three types of service innovation processes (practice-based, resource-based, and combinative). The key managerial insight provided by the paper is that service innovation must be conducted and value propositions must be evaluated from the perspective of the customers’ value creation, the service that the customer experiences. Successful service innovation is not only contingent on having the right resources, established methods and practices for integrating these resources into attractive value propositions are also needed.

Purpose – We investigate the tension between unique and collective value perceptions using an institutional perspective. In particular, we aim to provide a deeper understanding of value evaluation processes and point to the systemic nature of these processes by conceptually integrating the notions of interpretive flexibility and institutional work into a service ecosystems framework. Design/Methodology/approach – The paper, based on recent developments in S-D logic, conceptually revisits the topic of value perceptions. More specifically, it draws on a service ecosystems framework and its inherent institutional view (Lusch and Vargo, 2014; Vargo and Akaka, 2012; Vargo and Lusch, 2011; Vargo et al. 2014), and the concepts of interpretive flexibility (Pinch, 2008; Pinch and Bijker, 1984) and institutional work (Lawrence and Suddaby, 2006; Lawrence et al., 2009) to provide a deeper understanding of determining value-in-context. Findings – Service-dominant (S-D) logic describes value perceptions as contextual and phenomenologically determined (Chandler and Vargo, 2011; Vargo and Lusch, 2008). At the same time, value perceptions are neither random nor unstructured (Lusch and Vargo, 2014). Culture, for example, can greatly influence how value is perceived. More specifically, institutional configurations – socially constructed systems of norms, values, and beliefs – guide the evaluation of value outcomes in the same way that they enable and constrain the process of value co-creation (c.f. Edvardsson et al. 2011; Lusch and Vargo, 2014; Vargo et al. 2014). By integrating the concepts of interpretive flexibility and institutional work into the service ecosystem framework, we not only show how institutional configurations influence value perceptions, but how multiple actors co-create institutions that influence value perceptions through multiple iterations of institutional developments until common institutional templates become diffused. Research implications – Thi

Purpose: This paper aims to contribute to the debate on business excellence by comparing the business excellence models of Malcolm Baldrige, European Foundation for Quality Management and Swedish Institute for Quality. By assessing these in relation to today’s new business landscape, the authors suggest that emphasising issues such as stakeholder co-creation of value, stakeholder dialogue, service innovation, service logic, business ethics and different views on resource integration can alter the view of quality improvement from economic, social and environmental perspectives, in turn, leading to Business Excellence 2.0. Design/methodology/approach: This study examines three business excellence models and compares their adoption of the concepts of today’s new business landscape. The study focuses on whether the models’ fundamental principles and concepts are aligned with the views on sustainability, stakeholder co-creation and service innovation. Findings: The examined business excellence models do not fully respond to the requirements of today’s business landscape. To gain relevance in the private sector, the fundamental ideas of the models in terms of concepts, criteria and evaluation processes must be rethought. Such an opportunity enables the quality movement and service logic research to come together to develop new business excellence models that incorporate the challenges of today’s business landscape. Research limitations/implications – This paper illustrates the need to develop business excellence models to address the perspectives of today’s new business landscape. Practical implications: By incorporating strategies in sustainability, stakeholder co-creation and service innovation in business excellence models, organisations can deliver sustainable business growth. Originality/value: The paper sheds new light on how business excellence models can incorporate aspects of the new business landscape. It also shows how the quality movement and the

This paper presents an eight-firm study, conducted from the service-dominant logic perspective, which makes a contribution regarding knowledge of the anatomy of value propositions and service innovation. The paper suggests that value propositions are configurations of several different practices and resources. The paper finds that ten common practices, organized in three main aggregates, constitute and fulfill value propositions: i.e. provision practices, representational practices, and management and organizational practices. Moreover, the paper suggests that service innovation can be equated with the creation of new value propositions by means of developing existing or creating new practices and/or resources, or by means of integrating practices and resources in new ways. It identifies four types of service innovation (adaptation, resource-based innovation, practice-based innovation, and combinative innovation) and three types of service innovation processes (practice-based, resource-based, and combinative). The key managerial insight provided by the paper is that service innovation must be conducted and value propositions must be evaluated from the perspective of the customers’ value creation, the service that the customer experiences. Successful service innovation is not only contingent on having the right resources, established methods and practices for integrating these resources into attractive value propositions are also needed.

This paper aims to bridge recent work on Service Logic with practice and research in the Design for Service to explore whether and how human-centered collaborative design approaches could provide a source for interpreting existing service systems and proposing new ones and thus realize a Service Logic in organizations. A comparison is made of existing theoretical backgrounds and frameworks from Service Logic and Design for Service studies that conceptualize core concepts for value co-creation: actors, resources, resource integration, service systems, participation, context, and experience. We find that Service Logic provides a framework for understanding service systems in action by focusing on how actors integrate resources to co-create value for themselves and others, whereas Design for Service provides an approach and tools to explore current service systems as a context to imagine future service systems and how innovation may develop as a result of reconfigurations of resources and actors. Design for Service also provides approaches, competences, and tools that enable involved actors to participate in and be a part of the service system redesign. Design for value co-creation is presented using this model. The paper builds on and extends the Service Logic research first by repositioning service design from a phase of development to Design for Service as an approach to service innovation, centered on understanding and engaging with customers' own value-creating practices. Second, it builds on and extends through discussing the meaning of value co-creation and identifying and distinguishing collaborative approaches for the generation of new resource constellations. In doing so, the collaborative approaches allow for achieving value co-creation in designing.

Gone are the times when companies could regard their business model as fixed and stable. Instead companies must work with multiple business logics and models in parallel due to changes in customers’ needs and new market opportunities. Accordingly, business model innovation tends to be as important as product and service innovation. Essentially, a business model tells the firm’s “story” regarding how to earn money, i.e. it defines how a company creates and capture value (Magretta, 2002, Zott & Amit, 2010). Successful business models are a often balance act trying to satisfy both the customers’ value-creating, and the company’s value-capturing, processes, i.e. balancing sufficient profit while maintaining satisfied customers. Based on, among others, Teece (2007) we regard business model innovation as a process where as firm introduces change into their business model. Technology becomes obsolete, customer demands change, and new value propositions emerge; triggers for change might emanate from different perspective and from different actors, with varying starting points. Active business model innovation can reduce the risk of being overtaken as new actors introduce, for example, innovative offerings, new operational processes or even new underlying business models (Bessant and Davies 2007). Based on a case study at Ericsson our research explores the business problem that arises when one part, or both, are dissatisfied with the current business situation, opening up for business model innovation. It proposes a generic framework, based on the Service-Dominant logic (SDL) (Vargo et al., 2010), which aims to guide actions to dissolve situations where the current business model has become obsolete. The paper proposes and discusses four possible approaches to overcome the unsatisfying situation; two based on a Goods-Dominant logic (GDL) and two based on a Service-Dominant logic. The GDL approaches tend to change the current business model based on transaction costs, i.e

This paper aims to bridge recent work on Service Logic with practice and research in the Design for Service to explore whether and how human-centered collaborative design approaches could provide a source for interpreting existing service systems and proposing new ones and thus realize a Service Logic in organizations. A comparison is made of existing theoretical backgrounds and frameworks from Service Logic and Design for Service studies that conceptualize core concepts for value co-creation: actors, resources, resource integration, service systems, participation, context, and experience. We find that Service Logic provides a framework for understanding service systems in action by focusing on how actors integrate resources to co-create value for themselves and others, whereas Design for Service provides an approach and tools to explore current service systems as a context to imagine future service systems and how innovation may develop as a result of reconfigurations of resources and actors. Design for Service also provides approaches, competences, and tools that enable involved actors to participate in and be a part of the service system redesign. Design for value co-creation is presented using this model. The paper builds on and extends the Service Logic research first by repositioning service design from a phase of development to Design for Service as an approach to service innovation, centered on understanding and engaging with customers' own value-creating practices. Second, it builds on and extends through discussing the meaning of value co-creation and identifying and distinguishing collaborative approaches for the generation of new resource constellations. In doing so, the collaborative approaches allow for achieving value co-creation in designing.

Purpose - Service organizations and marketers have focussed too much of their energy on their core service's performance and too little emphasis on designing a customer journey that enhances the entire customer experience. There is nothing wrong with firms seeking continuous improvement in service quality and customer satisfaction. These efforts are needed for firms to be competitive in the marketplace. The problem occurs when performance levels and service offerings become too similar within an industry, so that price is the only competitive weapon that remains. The purpose of this paper is to argue that in order to break this deadlock, companies need to focus on the small details that make big differences to customers. Design/methodology/approach - The paper builds on interviews with executives in successful service organizations. It provides an analysis of differentiation strategies in diverse service organizations across consumption contexts, nations and cultures around the world. Findings - The paper develops three research propositions and argues for radical approaches to help service organizations truly understand customers and provide service experiences that engage and delight them. The paper argues that the new challenge for marketing is to help companies find and implement these small details to make a large impact on the overall customer experience. Originality/value - In order to truly understand the customer experience, the paper need a holistic view of all interactions customers have with a company. The paper need to understand the customer-firm interactions at all touch points, that is, during search, purchase, consumption and post-consumption. Customer experience involves the customers' cognitive, affective, emotional, social and sensory responses to the firm. The originality of this research lies in the focus on the small details that make a difference to customers during the service process rather than in the final outcome of the service performan

Church and state formally separated in Sweden 1st January 2000. However, their relationships are complex and ambiguous, illustrated by the presence of the Church of Sweden and its activities within several public institutions. State institutions are officially religiously neutral, although in praxis many have special links and organised cooperation with the former state church. There are even signs of increasing demand of the Church’s special competence in certain areas and the state is financially supporting activities of less financially strong minority faith communities within public institutions. The aim of this paper is to highlight the ambiguous relationships between state institutions and Swedish faith communities. Examples will be included from the following public institutions will be included; the parliament, military institutions, prisons, courts, public hospitals, public schools, universities and some other authorities. Results show persisting presence of religious agents dominated by Church of Sweden. The question is raised whether the Church and religion as such is really separated from the state, or if it is more relevant to describe the relationships as new forms of cooperation after the year 2000?, The role of religion in the public sphere. A comparative study of the five Nordic countries, The Impact of Religion: Challenges for Society, Law and Democracy

Purpose-The purpose of the study is to create an initial understanding of how various internal and external actors contribute to the development of new services based on the research question considering "which different actor takes part in small companies' service development processes in order giving access to the resources needed and what roles do they play?" Design/methodology/approach-Due to the lack of previous studies within the area, the focus in this study has been to use a qualitative method to reach a deeper insight about how small companies' service development could be described, as seen from an actor's perspective. Findings-Based on the empirical analysis, the study identifies seven main categories of actors who were involved in the service-development process that contributes with different types of resources and their role varies during the development process. The actors and their roles are presented in a model giving initial understanding how various internal and external actors contribute to the development of new services. Research limitations/implications-Using a qualitative approach, the research results may lack generalizability. Instead, the findings should be seen as an initial starting point for further studies. Practical implications-The paper's highlight a number of actor roles that need to be handled to create possibilities for small companies' service development. Originality/value-The paper fills a research gap in the service innovation research. Traditionally, this research has been focused on larger companies, with a focus on what happens inside the companies.

Purpose - Based upon primary research, the purpose of this paper is to highlight the three main sources of frustration about the marketing scholars' community current status quo. It delivers feasible solutions and describes, using the example of the Special Issue, how to overcome these challenges and provide the research environment all desire. Design/methodology/approach - Editorial paper summarizing the Special Issue's contributions and observations from the marketing scholar community Findings - The three main sources of frustration for marketing scholars about the current system are, first, review and publishing processes, second, the dominant epistemological and methodological approach in academe, encouraging an increasing specialization and reliance on generating more and more quantitatively driven knowledge and finally the lack of acceptance (and outright disdain) for research with a managerial, applied emphasis. Practical implications - But it surely is not mission impossible to build the research environment that is wanted. To build the research environment the community desires and to be "back where we belong," to be relevant means the need to do more than just engaging in lip service. Rather than complying with the system causing frustration, the paper asks all to take an active part in the change process. The paper strongly encourages all, as editors, reviewers, colleagues, mentors and supervisors to do so and take some chances. Engage in and support brave research. Social implications - The authors hope that the paper will stimulate research widely accessible to both managers, and a broader audience. This will eventually lead to a better reputation and public opinion toward marketing scholars and research. Originality/value - Rather than simply stating the main frustrations of the marketing scholar community, and calling for changes, the authors demonstrate how these challenges can be overcome, and deliver platforms to communicate and lead both the conv

The theory of attractive quality and the Kano methodology were introduced about 30 years ago. Since then, research and practitioner communities have adopted both the theory and the methodology, as they help to explain the roles different quality attributes play for customers. This paper reviews 147 research papers published between 1984 and 2012 and identifies three distinct phases in the development of the research field; Emergence, Exploration, and Explosion. In addition to the review of existing literature, the present paper sets the scene for the next phase of the research – Explanation – to further develop the field.

A firm working with quality management over time may change from total quality management to Six Sigma to lean production, but does this actually change the firm's quality profile? This paper seeks to identify specific quality profiles in service firms and how these profiles change over time. The empirical investigation is based on self-assessment studies conducted in 138 Swedish service firms. The results show that service firms often build up a specific quality profile, which they retain over time. The paper develops theoretical and managerial implications based on the research.

Majority religion is characterised by life-long belonging and relationship to historical tradition linked to cultural and often ethnical identity. The majority of people in Europe and many other parts of the world have this kind of collectivistic religious belonging, significantly expressed by common rites of passage, especially at the beginning and end of life. But the majority of people within the majority do not behave according to the official code of their religion. For example, they do not attend central collective religious activities on a regular basis; Sunday worship in Churches or Friday prayer in Mosques. And they feel free to have their own individual beliefs. In a qualitative study in Sweden, two different sets of value logics emerged with respect to life-long belonging on the one hand and occasional religious experiences on the other. Church belonging and participation in the rites of passage were motivated by long term collective values, while participation in worship and other one-off activities reflected rather more short term and individual values. This paper considers these differences from a theoretical perspective in order to understand increasing levels of religious choice alongside life-long belonging, thereby presenting a theoretical contribution to the understanding of the interplay between collectivistic and individualistic religion.

Majority religion is characterised by life-long belonging and relationship to historical tradition linked to cultural and often ethnical identity. The majority of people in Europe and many other parts of the world have this kind of collectivistic religious belonging, significantly expressed by common rites of passage, especially at the beginning and end of life. But the majority of people within the majority do not behave according to the official code of their religion. For example, they do not attend central collective religious activities on a regular basis; Sunday worship in Churches or Friday prayer in Mosques. And they feel free to have their own individual beliefs. In a qualitative pilot study in Sweden, two different sets of value logics emerged with respect to life-long belonging on the one hand and occasional religious experiences on the other. Church belonging and participation in the rites of passage were motivated by long term collective values, while participation in worship and other one-off activities reflected rather more short term and individual values. This paper considers these differences from a theoretical perspective in order to understand increasing levels of religious choice alongside life-long belonging, thereby presenting a theoretical contribution to the understanding of the interplay between collectivistic and individualistic religion.

The multitude of challenges related to sustainable development require, not only a shift in mind-set but also high competence in most sectors of employment. But how could we know if a university education is going to provide necessary competence in sustainable development? A model being developed to measure university sustainability is the Assessment Instrument of Sustainability in Higher Education (AISHE). Using the logic of self-assessment and based on the Triple Bottom Line this model deals with operations, education, research, interaction with society and core values with a so called identity module. The model makes an operationalization of sustainable development and its structure should be usable for constructing a quick assessment system similar to those of many business excellence models. Finding out the level of university sustainability is clearly not very easy for presumptive students. Furthermore, we can assume that since being sustainable is politically correct there is a risk of "sustainability washing" of information provided. Current university ranking systems do not seem to correspond well with how universities are working with sustainable development. The research question is if the AISHE-model could be converted into a credible quick assessment tool by relying on information provided by the university web-site. For this to work the university needs to have a culture that promotes transparency. With the rapid development of information technology it could be expected that more and more countries will have the conditions for using web-sites for providing the necessary information. Swedish university web-sites are used for testing the model. Sweden has a high level of transparency and is therefore thought to form a suitable example. This paper deals with conceptual development of the assessment model. Further studies will be carried out to validate the model. Results indicate that a structured web-site analysis can be used to quantify information tha

Purpose-The present increasingly tough economic climate has uncovered the need to go beyond the prevailing seller-oriented models and company practices in order to capture the factors that essentially drive buyer companies. What is needed is a genuinely customer-side concept that corresponds to offering. The purpose of this study is to develop a new concept labeled "customer needing" which emerged from the material collected in an industrial service setting. Design/methodology/approach-The paper reports a case study of a typical high-technology industrial service with a strong outsourcing trend. The empirical data consist of interviews with eight representatives from the seller company and 16 interviews from different customer companies. Findings-A needing is based on the customers' mental models of their business and business strategies that affect their priorities, decisions, and actions. It is itself a mental model of how the customer conceives the fulfillment of a specific task. In this paper the needing is operationalized as a profile of three dimensions containing six functions that represent desired value in use for the customer: the doing dimension comprises a relieving and an enabling function; the experiencing dimension has an energizing and a sheltering function; and the scheduling dimension contains a time-framing and a timing function. Empirical data are presented to illustrate the new concept. Research limitations/implications-This is a case study but the ensuing concept provides a framework for further research on value in use and mental models in an industrial service setting. The studied offering was a complex business service representing an outsourced function and the buyers were functional experts and higher-level executives, all of them experts in the service in question. Practical implications-The concept of customer needing extends knowledge of value in use and consequently represents an important tool in developing successful seller offerings

Public transportation represents a complex service system, which is based on “value-co-production” configuration. Value-co-production configuration involves “…people, technology, other internal and external service systems, and shared information” (Spohrer et al., 2007, p. 2). To fulfil the goals of a sustainable Public transit, innovations should focus the way value is created. The value configuration space (Gebauer et al., 2010; Johnson et al., 2010) is conceptualized consisting of two parties (“customer” and “provider”), who are both resource integrators and beneficiaries in the value configuration space. Both are involved in actor networks (or service systems). Service systems are related to value networks where the value creation relies on resource integration across a value network consisting of firm, network, partners, and customers (Vargo and Lusch, 2008; Edvardsson, et al., 2010). The networks form service systems that survive, adapt, and evolve through exchange and application of resources. Stabell and Fjeldstad (1998) offer another abstraction of value configuration. They have applied the value configuration concept to understand and analyze the firm-level value creation logics across a broad range of industries and firms by exploring the value chain, the value shop, and the value network through mediating technology. The mediating technology delivers value by transforming inputs into products. The value is delivered by resolving unique customer problems by enabling direct and indirect exchanges between customers (ibid). The aim of this paper is to apply the conceptualization of value-configuration spaces to understand the context of public transit services in a complex service system through different public transit cases. Public transit services in the urban regions of developed countries (Zurich in Switzerland, Hamburg in Germany, and Stockholm in Sweden) and newly-industrialized countries (Cape Town in South Africa, Jakarta in Indonesia and Bogota G

Anonymous credentials are a fundamental technology for preserving end users' privacy by enforcing data minimization for online applications. However, the design of user-friendly interfaces that convey their privacy benefits to users is still a major challenge. Users are still unfamiliar with the new and rather complex concept of anonymous credentials, since no obvious real-world analogies exists that can help them create the correct mental models. In this paper we explore different ways in which suitable mental models of the data minimization property of anonymous credentials can be evoked on end users. To achieve this, we investigate three different approaches in the context of an e-shopping scenario: a card-based approach, an attribute-based approach and an adapted card-based approach. Results show that the adapted card-based approach is a good approach towards evoking the right mental models for anonymous credential applications. However, better design paradigms are still needed to make users understand that attributes can be used to satisfy conditions without revealing the value of the attributes themselves.

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to explore customer interactions with servicescapes and to explain in more depth the internal mechanisms that form the customer service experience. Design/methodology/approach - The paper draws on an empirical study of customers using Swedish public transport systems. Data collection is based on a micro-ethnographic approach, using think-aloud protocols and video documentation. Findings - The results from the empirical study contribute with a framework of three constellations of activities and interactions: namely, identifying, sense-making, and using, which, depending on the empirical context, form two main customer process practices – navigating and ticketing. These constructs are theoretical and have implications for service research in the sense that they explain how customer experiences are formed. Practical implications - Managers should focus on making the servicescape design intuitive, meaningful and easy to use for their customers and, depending on the empirical context, support the customer processes of finding one’s way and ticketing. Limitations/Future research - While the conceptual framework is arguably applicable also to other servicescape processes and thus has the capacity to explain how a wide range of customer experiences are formed, the study is based on one industry. Consequently, it would be worthwhile to verify our framework in different service settings. Originality/value - The study is novel by applying a micro-ethnological research approach in order to provide a systematic empirical analysis of how constellations of activities and interactions in servicescape processes create customer responses and thus form the customer’s service experience.

Church and state formally separated in Sweden 1st January 2000. However, their relationships are complex and ambiguous, illustrated by the presence of the Church of Sweden and its involvement in activities within several public institutions, and public authorities’ official use of religion in certain contexts. State institutions are officially religiously neutral, although in praxis many have special links and organized cooperation with the former state church. The aim of this paper is to scrutinize Swedish public authorities’ official use of religion in a selection of contexts at national level; at the yearly opening of parliament, at official celebrations or commemorations, existence of religious rhetoric in official speeches by the prime minister and the king, presence of public authorities’ representatives in religious rituals and ceremonies. The study focuses these contexts in three selected years 1988, 1998, 2008, in order to analyse possible change over time., NOREL-The role of religion in the public sphere. A comparative study of the five Nordic countries, The Impact of Religion: Challenges for Society, Law and Democracy

Church and state formally separated in Sweden 1st January 2000. However, their relationships are complex and ambiguous, illustrated by the presence of the Church of Sweden and its involvement in activities within several public institutions, and public authorities’ official use of religion in certain contexts. State institutions are officially religiously neutral, although in praxis many have special links and organized cooperation with the former state church. The aim of this paper is to scrutinize Swedish public authorities’ official use of religion in a selection of contexts at national level; at the yearly opening of parliament, at official celebrations or commemorations, existence of religious rhetoric in official speeches by the prime minister and the king, presence of public authorities’ representatives in religious rituals and ceremonies. The study focuses these contexts in three selected years 1988, 1998, 2008, in order to analyse possible change over time., The role of religion in the public sphere. A comparative study of the five Nordic countries, The Impact of Religion: Challenges for Society, Law and Democracy

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to explore customer interactions with servicescapes and to explain in more depth the internal mechanisms that form the customer service experience. Design/methodology/approach - The paper draws on an empirical study of customers using Swedish public transport systems. Data collection is based on a micro-ethnographic approach, using think-aloud protocols and video documentation. Findings - The results from the empirical study contribute with a framework of three constellations of activities and interactions: namely, identifying, sense-making, and using, which, depending on the empirical context, form two main customer process practices – navigating and ticketing. These constructs are theoretical and have implications for service research in the sense that they explain how customer experiences are formed. Practical implications - Managers should focus on making the servicescape design intuitive, meaningful and easy to use for their customers and, depending on the empirical context, support the customer processes of finding one’s way and ticketing. Limitations/Future research - While the conceptual framework is arguably applicable also to other servicescape processes and thus has the capacity to explain how a wide range of customer experiences are formed, the study is based on one industry. Consequently, it would be worthwhile to verify our framework in different service settings. Originality/value - The study is novel by applying a micro-ethnological research approach in order to provide a systematic empirical analysis of how constellations of activities and interactions in servicescape processes create customer responses and thus form the customer’s service experience.

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to explore customer interactions with servicescapes and to explain in more depth the internal mechanisms that form the customer service experience. Design/methodology/approach - The paper draws on an empirical study of customers using Swedish public transport systems. Data collection is based on a micro-ethnographic approach, using think-aloud protocols and video documentation. Findings - The results from the empirical study contribute with a framework of three constellations of activities and interactions: namely, identifying, sense-making, and using, which, depending on the empirical context, form two main customer process practices – navigating and ticketing. These constructs are theoretical and have implications for service research in the sense that they explain how customer experiences are formed. Practical implications - Managers should focus on making the servicescape design intuitive, meaningful and easy to use for their customers and, depending on the empirical context, support the customer processes of finding one’s way and ticketing. Limitations/Future research - While the conceptual framework is arguably applicable also to other servicescape processes and thus has the capacity to explain how a wide range of customer experiences are formed, the study is based on one industry. Consequently, it would be worthwhile to verify our framework in different service settings. Originality/value - The study is novel by applying a micro-ethnological research approach in order to provide a systematic empirical analysis of how constellations of activities and interactions in servicescape processes create customer responses and thus form the customer’s service experience.

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to explore customer interactions with servicescapes and to explain in more depth the internal mechanisms that form the customer service experience. Design/methodology/approach - The paper draws on an empirical study of customers using Swedish public transport systems. Data collection is based on a micro-ethnographic approach, using think-aloud protocols and video documentation. Findings - The results from the empirical study contribute with a framework of three constellations of activities and interactions: namely, identifying, sense-making, and using, which, depending on the empirical context, form two main customer process practices – navigating and ticketing. These constructs are theoretical and have implications for service research in the sense that they explain how customer experiences are formed. Practical implications - Managers should focus on making the servicescape design intuitive, meaningful and easy to use for their customers and, depending on the empirical context, support the customer processes of finding one’s way and ticketing. Limitations/Future research - While the conceptual framework is arguably applicable also to other servicescape processes and thus has the capacity to explain how a wide range of customer experiences are formed, the study is based on one industry. Consequently, it would be worthwhile to verify our framework in different service settings. Originality/value - The study is novel by applying a micro-ethnological research approach in order to provide a systematic empirical analysis of how constellations of activities and interactions in servicescape processes create customer responses and thus form the customer’s service experience.

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to explore customer interactions with servicescapes and to explain in more depth the internal mechanisms that form the customer service experience. Design/methodology/approach - The paper draws on an empirical study of customers using Swedish public transport systems. Data collection is based on a micro-ethnographic approach, using think-aloud protocols and video documentation. Findings - The results from the empirical study contribute with a framework of three constellations of activities and interactions: namely, identifying, sense-making, and using, which, depending on the empirical context, form two main customer process practices – navigating and ticketing. These constructs are theoretical and have implications for service research in the sense that they explain how customer experiences are formed. Practical implications - Managers should focus on making the servicescape design intuitive, meaningful and easy to use for their customers and, depending on the empirical context, support the customer processes of finding one’s way and ticketing. Limitations/Future research - While the conceptual framework is arguably applicable also to other servicescape processes and thus has the capacity to explain how a wide range of customer experiences are formed, the study is based on one industry. Consequently, it would be worthwhile to verify our framework in different service settings. Originality/value - The study is novel by applying a micro-ethnological research approach in order to provide a systematic empirical analysis of how constellations of activities and interactions in servicescape processes create customer responses and thus form the customer’s service experience.

This paper examines the relationship among the complexity of customer needs, customer centricity, innovativeness, service differentiation, and business performance within the context of companies that have made a service transition from pure goods providers to service providers. A survey of 332 manufacturing companies provides the basis for the empirical investigation. One key finding is that a strong emphasis on service differentiation can lead to a manufacturing firm's strategies for customer centricity being less sensitive to increasingly complex customer needs, which can increase a firm's payoff for customer centricity. In contrast, the payoff from innovativeness appears to be higher if the firm focuses its resources on either product or service innovation; that is, a dual focus does not work well. This paper discusses the implications of these findings for researchers and managers.

This paper introduces the marketing-as-practice (MAP) special issue of the Scandinavian Journal of Management. It outlines the editors’ position, suggesting that there is a need for a stronger focus on MAP in marketing which engages with critical perspectives and opens up a mutually enriching dialogue between MAP and the more established strain of practice research in the strategy literature (SAP). Drawing on practice work in social theory, and building on SAP research, the paper explores practice-orientation in a context of critical perspectives on marketing and a nascent but growing incidence of practice themes in marketing and consumer research. It reviews some published studies in marketing that engage with practice themes, either indirectly or as an explicit practice-research positioning. Finally, the paper introduces the five papers chosen for this special issue. Our aim overall is not to prescribe what MAP should look like, but to try to open up fresh, multi-disciplinary trajectories for practice research in management.

Drawing on an empirical study of public transport, this paper studies interactive value formation at the provider—customer interface, from a practice—theory perspective. In contrast to the bulk of previous research, it argues that interactive value formation is not only associated with value co-creation but also with value co-destruction. In addition, the paper also identifies five interaction value practices — informing, greeting, delivering, charging, and helping — and theorizes how interactive value formation takes place as well as how value is intersubjectively assessed by actors at the provider—customer interface. Furthermore, the paper also distinguishes between four types of interactive value formation praxis corresponding with four subject positions which practitioners step into when engaging in interactive value formation.

Purpose - Manufacturing firms primarily organise service provision internally, externally or through a hybrid arrangement. This paper aims to analyse how firm-, offering-, and market-specific factors influence the way in which a firm organises its service provision. In addition, the paper analyses the specific challenges that each organisational arrangement presents for a firm. Design/methodology/approach - The study employed a qualitative, multiple-case research design that involved seven manufacturing firms with different organisational arrangements for service provision. Findings - Contrary to certain explicit assumptions, few firms organise for service provision solely through an in-house organisation. Analysis of firms in a wide variety of industries has shown that the organisational arrangements (internal, external or hybrid configuration) are contingent on factors such as market strategy, customer relationships, product-service linkages, internal competences and market channel characteristics. Research limitations/implications - The paper is an initial attempt to understand the strategic choices that firms make in terms of inter-organisational arrangements for service provision. The research should be extended by way of a cross-sectional survey in order to test and further validate the importance of the determinants of the organisational arrangements for service provision. Originality/value - The paper contributes to the service marketing and management literature by examining factors that determine whether firms organise for service provision internally, externally or through a hybrid configuration. Prior research has not explicitly addressed this issue.

This paper introduces the blind spot as a concept in service research. In the customer-relationship context the blind spot refers to the service providers inability to grasp the divergence between the customers patronage behavior, relationship perceptions and relational mode, and the temporal lability inherent in them. Consequently, the service provider makes a misestimation of the stability of the customer relationship. This constitutes a major challenge for service providers in their efforts to create customer value and develop relationships in order to maintain a loyal customer base. In addressing the challenge the writers develop the notion of blind spots in customer relationships, assess their consequences and propose a set of guidelines in order to reduce their effects.

Drawing on an empirical study of public transport, this paper studies interactive value formation at the provider—customer interface, from a practice—theory perspective. In contrast to the bulk of previous research, it argues that interactive value formation is not only associated with value co-creation but also with value co-destruction. In addition, the paper also identifies five interaction value practices — informing, greeting, delivering, charging, and helping — and theorizes how interactive value formation takes place as well as how value is intersubjectively assessed by actors at the provider—customer interface. Furthermore, the paper also distinguishes between four types of interactive value formation praxis corresponding with four subject positions which practitioners step into when engaging in interactive value formation.

Drawing on an empirical study of public transport, this paper studies interactive value formation at the provider—customer interface, from a practice—theory perspective. In contrast to the bulk of previous research, it argues that interactive value formation is not only associated with value co-creation but also with value co-destruction. In addition, the paper also identifies five interaction value practices — informing, greeting, delivering, charging, and helping — and theorizes how interactive value formation takes place as well as how value is intersubjectively assessed by actors at the provider—customer interface. Furthermore, the paper also distinguishes between four types of interactive value formation praxis corresponding with four subject positions which practitioners step into when engaging in interactive value formation.

Drawing on an empirical study of public transport, this paper studies interactive value formation at the provider—customer interface, from a practice—theory perspective. In contrast to the bulk of previous research, it argues that interactive value formation is not only associated with value co-creation but also with value co-destruction. In addition, the paper also identifies five interaction value practices — informing, greeting, delivering, charging, and helping — and theorizes how interactive value formation takes place as well as how value is intersubjectively assessed by actors at the provider—customer interface. Furthermore, the paper also distinguishes between four types of interactive value formation praxis corresponding with four subject positions which practitioners step into when engaging in interactive value formation.

Drawing on an empirical study of public transport, this paper studies interactive value formation at the provider—customer interface, from a practice—theory perspective. In contrast to the bulk of previous research, it argues that interactive value formation is not only associated with value co-creation but also with value co-destruction. In addition, the paper also identifies five interaction value practices — informing, greeting, delivering, charging, and helping — and theorizes how interactive value formation takes place as well as how value is intersubjectively assessed by actors at the provider—customer interface. Furthermore, the paper also distinguishes between four types of interactive value formation praxis corresponding with four subject positions which practitioners step into when engaging in interactive value formation.

Research on how vulnerable consumers navigate various marketplaces and service interactions, developing specific consumer skills in order to empower themselves during such exchanges, has received inadequate attention. This paper contributes to this area by empirically drawing on a multi-perspective go-along travel study, consisting of a combination of in-depth interviews and observations of consumer and service provider interactions in mobility services. It addresses both factors that are a source of vulnerability and forms thereof during service interactions, thus unearthing critical mechanisms that explain why vulnerability comes into being. Further, the finding of four distinct forms of active coping strategies, building on the dimensions of proactiveness/reactiveness and explicit/implicit articulation, and how these are related to different forms of vulnerability, provides an understanding of coping with vulnerability during consumer and service provider interactions.

Research on how vulnerable consumers navigate various marketplaces and service interactions, developing specific consumer skills in order to empower themselves during such exchanges, has received inadequate attention. This paper contributes to this area by empirically drawing on a multi-perspective go-along travel study, consisting of a combination of in-depth interviews and observations of consumer and service provider interactions in mobility services. It addresses both factors that are a source of vulnerability and forms thereof during service interactions, thus unearthing critical mechanisms that explain why vulnerability comes into being. Further, the finding of four distinct forms of active coping strategies, building on the dimensions of proactiveness/reactiveness and explicit/implicit articulation, and how these are related to different forms of vulnerability, provides an understanding of coping with vulnerability during consumer and service provider interactions.

Research on how vulnerable consumers navigate various marketplaces and service interactions, developing specific consumer skills in order to empower themselves during such exchanges, has received inadequate attention. This paper contributes to this area by empirically drawing on a multi-perspective go-along travel study, consisting of a combination of in-depth interviews and observations of consumer and service provider interactions in mobility services. It addresses both factors that are a source of vulnerability and forms thereof during service interactions, thus unearthing critical mechanisms that explain why vulnerability comes into being. Further, the finding of four distinct forms of active coping strategies, building on the dimensions of proactiveness/reactiveness and explicit/implicit articulation, and how these are related to different forms of vulnerability, provides an understanding of coping with vulnerability during consumer and service provider interactions.

Research on how vulnerable consumers navigate various marketplaces and service interactions, developing specific consumer skills in order to empower themselves during such exchanges, has received inadequate attention. This paper contributes to this area by empirically drawing on a multi-perspective go-along travel study, consisting of a combination of in-depth interviews and observations of consumer and service provider interactions in mobility services. It addresses both factors that are a source of vulnerability and forms thereof during service interactions, thus unearthing critical mechanisms that explain why vulnerability comes into being. Further, the finding of four distinct forms of active coping strategies, building on the dimensions of proactiveness/reactiveness and explicit/implicit articulation, and how these are related to different forms of vulnerability, provides an understanding of coping with vulnerability during consumer and service provider interactions.

Travel satisfaction has been linked to life satisfaction for adults, but no evidence exists currently for children's travel. Children's travel differs from adult's in numerous ways including limitations related to independent travel and available transport options. Children's travel is often more local and their desire to explore and learn about their environment may be higher than for adults. The importance of social interaction during travel or at locations may also be a greater consideration for children. Further, many of their destinations are pre-determined such as going to school (not all adults work, but nearly all children of school age attend school). This paper analyzes the relationship between travel satisfaction and life satisfaction for children aged 9–12 in Canada, Japan, and Sweden (n = 425) using partial least squares structural equation modeling. In line with previous findings among adults, the analyses show a significant path from travel satisfaction to life satisfaction among children, suggesting a moderate relationship. Unexpectedly, negative relationships for increased frequency of nearly all mode uses (walking, bus, and car) on travel satisfaction (directly) and life satisfaction (indirectly) were found, which may suggest that children do not enjoy frequent travel. These results suggest a relationship that is likely important, but not necessarily in the ways anticipated.

Research on how vulnerable consumers navigate various marketplaces and service interactions, developing specific consumer skills in order to empower themselves during such exchanges, has received inadequate attention. This paper contributes to this area by empirically drawing on a multi-perspective go-along travel study, consisting of a combination of in-depth interviews and observations of consumer and service provider interactions in mobility services. It addresses both factors that are a source of vulnerability and forms thereof during service interactions, thus unearthing critical mechanisms that explain why vulnerability comes into being. Further, the finding of four distinct forms of active coping strategies, building on the dimensions of proactiveness/reactiveness and explicit/implicit articulation, and how these are related to different forms of vulnerability, provides an understanding of coping with vulnerability during consumer and service provider interactions.

Research on how vulnerable consumers navigate various marketplaces and service interactions, developing specific consumer skills in order to empower themselves during such exchanges, has received inadequate attention. This paper contributes to this area by empirically drawing on a multi-perspective go-along travel study, consisting of a combination of in-depth interviews and observations of consumer and service provider interactions in mobility services. It addresses both factors that are a source of vulnerability and forms thereof during service interactions, thus unearthing critical mechanisms that explain why vulnerability comes into being. Further, the finding of four distinct forms of active coping strategies, building on the dimensions of proactiveness/reactiveness and explicit/implicit articulation, and how these are related to different forms of vulnerability, provides an understanding of coping with vulnerability during consumer and service provider interactions.

Managers aiming to utilise the potential of involving ordinary users in ideation for innovation receive very little guidance from the existing literature with regard to how to do so in a satisfactory way. This paper aims to fill this knowledge gap by contributing to a better understanding of how users contribute to the ideation process of technology-based services, as well as how users may satisfactorily be managed within it. This is accomplished by identifying and investigating different ideation patterns and their effects on the created ideas' characteristics in the context of mobile telephony services. The current paper is based on a quasi-experimental study lasting 12 days and involving 56 ordinary users and 12 professionals as idea creators. Three different groups of users and one reference group of professionals were used. The paper inductively identifies four different ideation patterns leading to different types of ideas with regard to their innovativeness (incremental/radical). These are further related to the existing literature. The paper concludes with the managerial implications concerning how to manage user involvement for ideation to obtain either more incremental or more radical ideas

In the last decade or so the climate of doing business changed dramatically, coming up with many new dimensions of the business. A few of them are service dominant logic, corporate social responsibility and corporate governance. The notion of a „business case‟ for corporate sustainability has increasingly been used by the corporate sector, environmental organizations, consultancies and by many others to seek justification for sustainability strategies within organizations.These concepts if not complete but must have major impact on all business decisions now a days. No business can survive longer by disintegrating itself from these practices. So it has become the need of the hour to understand these terms and incorporate them in business social culture, to be part of responsible corporate citizenship in today‟s business world.Moreover, the paper will try to study the level of CSR activities according to CSR pyramid in terms of economical, legal, social and philanthropic aspects and these will be analyzed with gathered data about companies under review. The research work undertaken will focus on CSR and CG practices prevailing in telecom sector of Pakistan especially taking Zong as our case study basis and Telenor for its comparison. The research will see the internal service dimensions and will analyze if the business is based on five principles of value based service business. The paper is qualitative in its nature, relying on the data obtained through interviews regarding the companies under discussion.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to identify, portray and analyse the frequent drivers of customer service experiences as described by customers in their own words – the voice of the customer.Design/methodology/approach– A critical incident technique study was conducted, based on 122 interviews, including 195 favourable and unfavourable narratives, about customer experiences. The data were analysed in an inductive manner and the results are presented by means of extracts from the narratives.Findings– The findings describe the dimensions of drivers of customers' favourable and unfavourable experiences and the frequent drivers, the social interaction, the core service and the physical context.Research limitations/implications– Customer experiences are processes and include dynamic interactions and the customer as a co‐producer. The study context is limited to the restaurant setting and Swedish customers.Practical implications– For managers the results suggest that great effort needs to be put into understanding the process of customer experiences and the various interactions involved, especially social interactions and the crucial roles of contact employees and customers involved in these interactions.Originality/value– The paper provides a detailed description and analysis of the frequent and less frequent drivers of favourable, and unfavourable customer experiences – the constellation of drivers. The findings are illustrated by extracts from customer narratives and show how experiences occur and that experiences are processes occurring in a social and physical environment when people do things together. Furthermore, the paper introduces customer experience to service dominant logic by describing the dynamics of resource interactions in customer experience formation.

Purpose – The paper seeks to introduce to a new perspective on the roles of customers and companies in creating value by outlining a customer-based approach to service. The customer's logic is examined in-depth as being the foundation of a customer-dominant (CD) marketing and business logic. Design/methodology/approach – The authors argue that both the goods- and service-dominant logic are provider-dominant. Contrasting the provider-dominant logic with CD logic, the paper examines the creation of service value from the perspectives of value-in-use, the customer's own context, and the customer's experience of service. Findings – Moving from a provider-dominant logic to a CD logic uncovered five major challenges to service marketers: company involvement, company control in co-creation, visibility of value creation, scope of customer experience, and character of customer experience. Research limitations/implications – The paper is exploratory. It presents and discusses a new perspective and suggests implications for research and practice. Practical implications – Awareness of the mechanisms of customer logic will provide businesses with new perspectives on the role of the company in their customers' lives. It is proposed that understanding the customer's logic should represent the starting-point for the company's marketing and business logic. Originality/value – The paper increases the understanding of how the customer's logic underpins the CD business logic. By exploring consequences of applying a CD logic, further directions for theoretical and empirical research are suggested.

The question we pose in this paper is how similar or different really private and business customers are? There are several potential differences among these two groups. It can be assumed that the private customers generally are more free to make their own choices based on what best fits their needs. While a business customer may have more limits and can be more bound by company policies and contracts when selecting a service provider. The context we have chosen for this study is air travel. The context is relevant since business and private customers make similar choices; they need to go from one location to another. The results are based on qualitative studies. It turned out that the business customers were not as bound by company policies as we first thought. The findings showed a partially different decision-process character where the private costs in terms of family and personal needs occurred as being the most important aspects of the relationships between business customers and the airport service and flights in comparison. The results show that in companies not only job matters such as possibility to work decide the way of travelling but equally important are the clearly private aspects in the choice situations such as time with family. Time is accordingly an important asset for business customers, which was assumed, but it is not time in combination with companys strategies or programs that decide but pure private motives that act basis when departure and arrival occur in the business-traveling customers week programs. Price was found to be important but not as important as was customers possibilities to work or time with the family. The implication is that in a theoretical perspective the function of the consideration sets (Srinivasan 1987; Nedungadi 1990; Heide and Weiss 1995; Grewal et al. 1999) of private and business customers appears to look the same, only the features differ. In comparison with the complex service