scholarly journals Viewpoint: service marketing research priorities

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Grönroos
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Conceptual Analysis ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Service Marketing ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Proper Understanding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Level Of Knowledge

Purpose This paper aims to emphasize two key research priorities central to the domain of service marketing. Design/methodology/approach Reflections based on conceptual analysis of the current level of knowledge of service as an offering and of the nature of service marketing in the literature. Findings It is observed that research into marketing and into service as an object of marketing, or as an offering, has been neglected for two decades and more. It is also shown that to restore its credibility, marketing needs to be reinvented. Furthermore, the point is made that if a proper understanding of service as an object of, for example, innovation, design, branding and development is lacking, or even only implicitly present, valid research into those and other important topics is at risk. Research limitations/implications This paper discusses two neglected topics within the domain of service research. Other important areas of future research are not covered. However, the paper offers directions for service marketing research fundamental to the development of the discipline. Originality/value In earlier discussions of service and service marketing research priorities, the observation that service and marketing are neglected topics that need to be studied and further developed has not been made. The paper emphasizes that service marketing research also needs to return to its roots and suggests possible directions for future research.

scholarly journals Islamic marketing as macromarketing

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Djavlonbek Kadirov
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Present Discussion ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Means And Ends ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Separate Discipline ◽  
Field Of Inquiry

Purpose – The purpose of the article is to propose and develop a distinct perspective in Islamic marketing research through fusing the Islamic paradigm and the macromarketing theory. Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual article that is based on intellectualising and reflecting on differences in understanding what marketing is and what role it plays in society. Findings – The article reveals some commonality of purpose between the macromarketing discipline and Islamic macromarketing, while the latter field of inquiry offers a unique outlook to a number of domain-specific issues. Research limitations/implications – The characterisation of Islamic macromarketing will open new avenues for future research and will make researchers more theoretically sensitive to ontological and epistemological assumptions that underlie marketing investigations. The limitation of the present discussion is that Islamic macromarketing may not have yet emerged as a separate discipline. Additionally, research on genuinely macromarketing issues in Islamic contexts is very sparse. Practical implications – Muslim practitioners and managers are to realise that the means and ends of marketing are better understood if viewed from a broader perspective of marketing's impact and consequences on society. By adopting the Islamic macromarketing perspective, public, societal institutions, business stakeholders, and managers will find a better platform to cooperate on maximising the realisation of hasanah (excellence) for all. Originality/value – This article contributes to the discipline by introducing and characterising a potentially new field of marketing inquiry.

From service quality to experience – and back again?

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon Sundbo
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Service Management ◽  
Service Marketing ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Experience Economy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Functional Quality ◽  
Original Contribution

Purpose – This paper aims to analyse the movement in the focus on customers within service management and marketing theories and service research that has taken place during the past three decades. The paper addresses the question: How did we, in service research, change from emphasizing quality to emphasizing experience? Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyses developments in service and experience theories. Experience has come onto the theoretical agenda, both in its own right and as a concept within service marketing and management theory. Findings – Experience has increasingly been a concept that has replaced quality in service marketing theories. However, an independent experience economy paradigm has also emerged. Recently, the societal emphasis on productivity may lead back to functional quality re-emerges in theories; however, it will most likely be in a new version. Originality/value – This analysis is a profound theory-critical analysis of the actually very widely used concept experience in service theories. The analysis present an understanding of what experience means in these theories and how it relates to the quality concept. This is an original contribution to a deeper understanding of service marketing and service quality theories.

Entrepreneurial selling in context

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-125
Author(s):  
Linden Dalecki
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Entrepreneurial Success ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Feedback ◽  
The Core ◽  
Four Quadrant ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide a general review of the existing academic and practitioner literatures, pertaining to entrepreneurial selling with a view to articulate major entrepreneurial selling practices, patterns and principles that lead to entrepreneurial success and to propose two four-quadrant matrices. Design/methodology/approach The paper explores commonalities and distinctions in the entrepreneurial selling concepts articulated by Deutsch and Wortmann and Onyemah and Rivera-Pesquera – and relevant writings by Blank as well as Sarasvathy – are explored and analyzed. Findings It was found that the early stage entrepreneurial selling activities of founders – as a means of gleaning prospective customer feedback for product prototyping – form the core of contemporary entrepreneurial selling conceptualizations. Two provisional four-quadrant entrepreneurial selling matrices are proposed corresponding to the literature reviewed. Research limitations/implications It is hoped that the two four-quadrant matrices might serve as a springboard for future researchers interested in exploring entrepreneurial selling. The notion of preliminary selling as a valuable form of marketing research is also worthy of future research. Practical implications Given the extent to which the perspectives of entrepreneurship practitioners, clinical professors and consultants are cited and explored, manifold aspects of entrepreneurial selling are put forth. The various approaches to preliminary selling that are explored are of especially high value to practitioners. Originality/value This is the first paper to fully explore the commonalities and distinctions across the entrepreneurial selling conceptualizations developed by Deutsch and Wortmann, as well as by Onyemah and Rivera-Pesquera, and the first to propose a conceptual framework focused specifically on entrepreneurial selling.

Viewpoint: service research priorities – bridging the academic and practitioner perspectives

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 626-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lerzan Aksoy ◽  
Loïc Guilloux ◽  
Hélène Duneigre ◽  
Sikaar Keita
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Journal Editors ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The World ◽  
Main Ideas ◽  
Two Sides

Purpose As an interdisciplinary and applied discipline, managerial relevance has always been at the forefront of service research. This viewpoint article synthesizes the main ideas presented in one of the 10th SERVSIG conference panels by three practitioners about what they view as the biggest opportunities/challenges they face and two journal editors on current academic research priorities. The purpose of this study is to use this panel as a starting point to bridge more closely the world of academia with practice and propose a collection of recommendations toward this goal. Design/methodology/approach This study synthesizes the academic and practitioner viewpoints presented and research conducted into research priorities. Findings Although there is significant overlap in what is deemed important by the presenting academics and practitioners, there are some important differences when it comes to issues deemed important, how they are articulated and the language that is used. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature and practitioner community by summarizing the viewpoints of the two sides and curating a collection of existing approaches and new recommendations to more closely bridge academic and practitioner perspectives.

Co-marketing alliances: definitions and approaches. Insights from a literature review

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
pp. 971-989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Grieco ◽  
Gennaro Iasevoli
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Multidimensional Scaling ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Competitive Position ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Points Of View ◽  
Marketing Alliances

Purpose Co-marketing strategies play an important role in enabling firms to improve their competitive position. However, despite its increasing implementation, it remains a topic that is largely not researched. The purpose of this paper is to analyze existing contributions to the field of co-marketing research and the different perspectives scholars have adopted in analyzing the topic. Design/methodology/approach A literature review has been developed, as its lack seems to be a major hindrance to the development of related studies. A specific focus has been made on the adopted approaches. Five approaches have been identified, and multidimensional scaling (MDS) has been used to analyze the differences among them. Findings First, the analysis of the typologies of studies on co-marketing alliances is made. Also, the identified approaches are strategic-based, consumer-based, relational-based, specificity-based and evaluation-based. What emerges from the MDS is that there are two perspectives of analysis of the alliance that characterize them: the inside–outside and the wide–narrow points of view. Research limitations/implications Limitations are mostly referred to the methodologies and the level of subjectivity they imply. For example, they are not only the choices made concerning keywords to be used and, consequently, the articles included in the analysis, but also the MDS that offers broad autonomy to the researchers in interpreting the data. Originality/value The originality of this research is that it fills an emerged gap concerning a literature review on co-marketing alliances, supporting future research in this field of study. The identification of the approaches underlines what may be lacking, providing interesting insights on possible avenues for future research.

Customer dominant value formation in service

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Heinonen ◽  
Tore Strandvik ◽  
Päivi Voima
Keyword(s):  
Value Creation ◽  
Customer Value ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Conceptual Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Service Strategy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Contextual Reality

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to extend current discussions of value creation and propose a customer dominant value perspective. The point of origin in a customer‐dominant marketing logic (C‐D logic) is the customer, rather than the service provider, interaction or the system. The focus is shifted from the company's service processes involving the customer, to the customer's multi‐contextual value formation, involving the company.Design/methodology/approachValue formation is contrasted to earlier views on the company's role in value creation in a conceptual analysis focusing on five central aspects. Implications of the proposed characteristics of value formation compared to earlier approaches are put forward.FindingsThe paper highlights earlier hidden aspects on the role of a service for the customer. It is proposed that value is not always an active process of creation; instead, value is embedded and formed in the highly dynamic and multi‐contextual reality and life of the customer. This leads to a need to look beyond the line of visibility focused on visible customer‐company interactions, to the invisible and mental life of the customer. From this follows a need to extend the temporal scope, from exchange and use even further to accumulated experiences in the customer's life and ecosystem.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is conceptual. It discusses and presents a customer‐dominant value perspective and suggests implications for empirical research and practice.Practical implicationsAwareness of the mechanism of the customer value formation process provides companies with new insight on the service strategy, service design and new service innovations.Originality/valueThe paper contributes by extending the value construct through a new customer dominant value perspective, recognizing value as multi‐contextual and dynamic based on customers' life and ecosystem. The findings mark out new avenues for future research.

The impact of occupational stereotypes in human-centered service systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antje Sarah Julia Huetten ◽  
David Antons ◽  
Christoph F. Breidbach ◽  
Erk P. Piening ◽  
Torsten Oliver Salge
Keyword(s):  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Service Systems ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Patient Orientation ◽  
Occupational Stereotypes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Mechanisms ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the impact that occupational stereotypes held by customers have on value co-creation processes in human-centered service systems (HCSSs) like hospitals. Specifically, by exploring if and how customers’ (i.e. patients’) stereotypes toward frontline employees (e.g. nurses) affect their satisfaction as co-creators of value, this study responds to current service research priorities attempting to understand value co-creation in collaborative contexts like healthcare, and addresses calls to investigate the changing role of health care customers therein.Design/methodology/approachA field study was conducted in the context of German hospitals, which provides unique empirical evidence into the relationship between patients’ stereotypes toward healthcare professionals and their satisfaction with health services as well as the mediating mechanisms through which such stereotypes affect patient satisfaction.FindingsNegative (positive) stereotypes patients hold toward healthcare occupations decrease (increase) their satisfaction and are associated with perceptions of reduced (improved) patient orientation and patient participation in co-creation. However, only perceived patient orientation partially mediates the link between occupational stereotypes and patient satisfaction.Originality/valueThis study develops and tests new hypotheses related to occupational stereotyping in complex HCSSs, and extends previous research on stereotypes in service by exploring the previously unknown mediating mechanisms through which these impact value co-creation processes overall. It furthermore provides important guidance for future research about stereotyping in general, and its impact on value co-creation and HCSS, in particular.

The institutional turn in service research: taking stock and moving ahead

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 373-387
Author(s):  
Kaisa Koskela-Huotari ◽  
Josina Vink ◽  
Bo Edvardsson
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Institutional Theory ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Future ◽  
Methodological Considerations

Purpose Service scholars are finding that institutions – enduring social structures, such as rules, norms, beliefs – are increasingly important in theorizing on service-related phenomena. The purpose of this paper is to advance the use of institutional theory in service research by synthesizing the key insights from institutional theory that have been applied to service-related phenomena and developing a research agenda to guide the future use of institutional theory in service research. Design/methodology/approach This paper is an integrative literature review covering 68 articles from major service research and marketing journals that adopt institutional concepts and frameworks to study service-related phenomena. Findings The paper maps the “institutional turn” of service research, that is, the increasing tendency to draw on institutional theory for theoretical insights within service research and builds a conceptual framework of the institutional stabilization and destabilization mechanisms that explain endurance and change in service phenomena. The paper also proposes a research agenda that outlines four previously ignored aspects of institutions that have important implications for service research. Research limitations/implications In addition to synthesizing insights and proposing directions for future research, the paper highlights specific theoretical and methodological considerations for the future use of institutional theory within service research. The literature review is limited to the 13 major service research and marketing journals. Originality/value This paper is the first literature review of the use of institutional theory in service research.

Earnings management in family firms: current state of knowledge and opportunities for future research

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inna Sousa Paiva ◽  
Isabel Costa Lourenço ◽  
Manuel Castelo Branco
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Gaps ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Current State ◽  
Different Types

Purpose – This paper aims to synthesize the extant research on earnings management in family firms. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the current state of knowledge about earnings management in family firms, identifying the main theoretical frameworks used in the empirical research on the topic, as well as the main types of said research and its findings. Findings – Agency theory is identified as the main theoretical framework used. Two major types of research identified in the literature are discussed, namely, earnings management in family firms versus non-family firms and earnings management in different types of family firms. Originality/value – Important research gaps are identified, and future research priorities are suggested. These pertain to the lack of research on earnings management in different types of family firms, the utility of using qualitative and experimental research, as well as the importance of using theoretical frameworks better able to capture the peculiarities of family firms.

Scales in services marketing research: a critique and way forward

2009 ◽  
Vol 43 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 640-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey Gilmore ◽  
Rosalind McMullan
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Service Marketing ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Measurement Scale ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Measurement Scales ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Scale Design

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the use of measurement scales and to illustrate some of the drawbacks of using scales for measuring service quality without due recognition of the limitations and rigidity of such scales, especially when they are applied to the complexity of service marketing situations and contexts.Design/methodology/approachA review of the most widely used scales in services measurement, including SERVQUAL and SERVPERF is provided, along with some of the conceptual issues surrounding scale design and use in service contexts. Then some qualitative research techniques are considered in terms of their adaptability and flexibility for carrying out research regarding the complex nature of services.FindingsMeasurement scales are evaluated and discussed. The key criticisms of best‐known scales used for services situations are presented. Then consideration is given to what might be a “best practice” scenario for measuring and assessing service‐related issues in a service context.Originality/valueThe discussion draws attention to the importance of recognising the most suitable research method for a service‐specific research problem/question rather than imposing a well known measurement scale or technique that may not suit the purpose.

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