Special Issue in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services
Designing Retail and Consumer Services for a Positive Societal and Citizenship Impact
Editors: Kuppelwieser V & Klaus P
Deadline: 30 June 2023
The special issue will make a clear and significant contribution to the citizenship experience (hereafter CZX), retailing, consumer services, service design, and transformative service research literature streams. CZX is a highly significant, but still developing research (Klaus, in De Keyser and Kunz, 2022), and our special issue will address and fill the important research gaps mentioned above. We will consider only empirical studies highlighting how the findings will influence the design and practices of consumer services designed to serve all citizen and enhance their experiences. In other words, all studies need to focus on, and extensively discuss, how the findings will shape and guide the future of citizenship services, their design, and influence on important outcomes, such as wellbeing, quality-of-life, etc. This can be achieved by either using consumer data linking CZX to outcomes, or data collected from citizenship service providers. For the former we are only looking for consumer samples, not convenience samples (such as students, etc.). Studies exploring the managerial viewpoint are most welcome. We are interested in empirical studies investigating existing challenges in CZX management, such as the connection between CZX strategies/programs and key performance indicators. We also welcome studies investigating the potential emphasis, outcomes, and measurements of CZX initiatives. The submission of collaborative studies conducted with practitioners are highly encouraged.
We are also interested in non-theory confirming findings, that is authors are welcome to submit null findings in this context. Such submissions need to contrast previous theory and focus on similar important outcomes or important theoretical concepts. Authors engaging in these manuscripts need to rule out methodological artifacts and provide a thorough discussion on future research needs.
We welcome only empirical contributions (qualitative or quantitative) grounded in a range of perspectives that offer insights into the central topic of this Special Issue (no pure literature review manuscripts, no descriptive work). All submissions need to emphasize the impact of their contribution to both, the advancement to the citizenship experience (hereafter CZX), retailing, consumer services, service design, and transformative service research literature streams and management practices.
Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
– What constitutes the citizenship experience CZX?
– How to design the ‘perfect’ CZX?
– The role of service inclusion in the CZX?
– Which variables need deeper consideration in CZX?
– In contrast to common CX, what are specific context variables that influence CZX?
– What role do retail and consumer services play in the CZX?
– What are the challenges CXZ managers facing?
– What is being considered ‘best’ and ‘next practice’ in CZX management?
– Do common CX constructs and theories hold in CZX?
– The future of retailing CZX management.
– The role of emotions in the CZX.
– The dynamic nature of the CZX.
– The role of sustainability in the CZX.
– The contribution and impact of technology (e.g., AI) on the CZX.
– Linking CZX analytics to KPI and consumer outcomes, e.g., quality-of-life and wellbeing.
All submissions should be made to the special issue identified on the Online Manuscript submission system. All submitted manuscripts should not have been published, accepted for publication, or be currently under consideration elsewhere. Manuscripts should follow the style guidelines available on the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services home page.
To ensure that all manuscripts are correctly identified for inclusion into the special issue, it is important to select “VSI: Positive Societal and Citizenship Impact” when you reach the “Article Type” step in the submission process.
All manuscripts will be evaluated primarily on the basis of adequate coverage of the research domain, originality in summarizing our understanding of what we know, and what we do not know, and the potential for advancing understanding of the field of services. Other important considerations include the length-contribution ratio, and the quality of written expression.
Key Dates:
– Manuscript submission opens 1 November 2022
– Submission deadline 30 June 2023
– Final acceptances 15 November 2023
– Estimated publication 2023
