Considered Service-specific journals were Journal of Service Research, Journal of Service Management, Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, Service Industries Journal, Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, and Service Science.
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Heinonen, K., S. Kurtmollaiev, L. Lervik-Olsen, C. Mele, S. Streukens and T. W. Andreassen (2025): Responsible aging: integrating individual and intergenerational well-being, JOURNAL OF SERVICE MANAGEMENT, (4398), pp.
Purpose-The purpose of this article is to introduce and explicate the concept of responsible aging, defined as the lifelong, proactive pursuit of personal well-being in ways that also support the well-being of other generations. The article also examines the antecedents and outcomes of responsible aging and outlines directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach-This conceptual paper offers a critical review of the extant literature, aiming to develop new theoretical insights. We develop a comprehensive framework with key aspects that are essential for understanding the nature, antecedents, and outcomes of responsible aging. Findings-The proposed framework illustrates the relationship between aging and multiple dimensions of well-being, highlighting that aspirations, intentions, and behaviors converge in the pursuit of responsible aging. It reveals reciprocal associations between responsible aging and both individual and contextual characteristics. It also emphasizes the active role of individuals across all age groups in promoting responsible aging practices and fostering intergenerational well-being. Research limitations/implications-The article broadens the aging literature by integrating individual and intergenerational well-being, thereby unlocking the transformative potential of aging. It reconceptualizes aging from a narrative centered on individual loss to a collaborative, multi-generational process focused on sustaining well-being across age cohorts. The responsible aging framework contributes to the research in service, marketing, and innovation, particularly by encouraging scholars to explore aging as a dynamic, relational phenomenon that involves shared responsibilities, co-creation of value, and systemic innovation across generations. Practical implications-The article assists organizations and service stakeholders by identifying key factors relevant to developing inclusive practices for aging populations. The framework offers a foundation for healthcare providers, service organizations, and other societal actors to reflect on how systems and services can better accommodate, support, and engage individuals across generations. Social implications-Responsible aging carries important societal implications, as it offers an intergenerational perspective that supports social cohesion, shared responsibility, and the sustainable well-being of aging populations. By encouraging individuals to contribute not only to their own well-being but also to the betterment of others, it fosters a more inclusive and resilient society. Originality/value-This article presents a novel perspective on aging, emphasizing intergenerational well-being for sustainable and equitable outcomes in aging societies. It challenges traditional views of aging as an isolated experience and presents responsible aging as a dynamic, multifaceted process with far-reaching implications for individuals, families, and society at large.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-12-2024-0529 [Google]
Henkens, B., C. D. Schultz, A. De Keyser and D. Mahr (2025): The sound of progress: AI voice agents in service, JOURNAL OF SERVICE MANAGEMENT, (4399), pp.
PurposeThis article advances research on artificial intelligence (AI)-powered voice agents (hereafter, AI voice agents) by providing (1) a conceptualization of AI voice, (2) a conceptual mapping of AI voice agents, and (3) an organizing framework outlining key benefits, risks, and contingency factors associated with AI voice agents in service. This introduction to the special issue on “Voice Capabilities in Smart Service Systems” also outlines future research directions for AI voice agents in service and beyond.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on insights from marketing and management literature complemented with communications, linguistics, and human-computer interaction research, the article describes voice elements relevant for service research. The conceptual mapping and the organizing framework guide the future research agenda.FindingsFirst, AI voice is conceptualized through verbal (i.e. diction, syntax, semantics) and paraverbal elements (i.e. pitch, volume, speech rate, pauses, pronunciation, articulation, timbre, and breathiness). Next, the proposed typology maps AI voice agents by voice richness and AI intelligence. Finally, the conceptual framework articulates benefits (e.g. interactivity, social presence, convenience, personalization, enjoyment) and risks (e.g. intrusiveness, privacy concerns, algorithmic bias) associated with AI voice agents, and introduces relevant contingency factors covering user, voice technology, service setting, and ecosystem characteristics.Originality/valueThe paper offers a clear definition of AI voice, as well as a conceptual mapping that enables service researchers to systematically classify and compare AI voice agents. Moreover, the study highlights key pathways that may inspire future work.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-06-2025-0269 [Google]
Huang, H., F. F. Chen, S. Q. Liu and Y. Xing (2025): How task objectivity shapes customer responses to robot service failure, JOURNAL OF SERVICE MANAGEMENT, (4400), pp.
PurposeThis research aims to understand how customers perceive different types of service robots (humanoid vs. mechanoid) when performing objective versus subjective tasks, their consequent impact, and the role of human-robot service (with human staff presence) in the event of robot service failures.Design/methodology/approachThree experimental studies were conducted, followed by ANCOVA and PROCESS analyses to test the hypotheses.FindingsOur findings suggest that humanoid service robots are perceived as more capable of subjective tasks, inducing more negative customer responses when such tasks fail. Conversely, both humanoid and mechanoid service robots are perceived as equally capable of objective tasks, resulting in similar levels of customer responses following a failed objective task. Human-robot service was found to mitigate the negative effects of robot human-likeness following a failed subjective task. Negative expectancy violation is the underlying mechanism explaining the impact of robot type on customer responses following a failed subjective task.Practical implicationsThis research offers actionable recommendations for practitioners to optimize customer experiences by understanding the perception of different robot types during service failures and the influence of task objectivity on such perceptions. It also emphasizes the importance of human staff’s presence in buffering the adverse effects of robot service failures.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first to examine robot service failure and anthropomorphism from the lens of task objectivity and human staff’s presence.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-07-2024-0323 [Google]
Kunz, W. H., L. Sajtos and C. Flavian (2025): Beyond replacement: human-machine collaboration in the age of AI, JOURNAL OF SERVICE MANAGEMENT, (4401), pp.
PurposeThe purpose is to advance the understanding of human-machine (H-M) collaboration in service industries, conceptualizing a framework that structures the research space and proposing a research agenda to guide future studies on optimizing collaboration dynamics, outcomes and ethical governance.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use an artificial intelligence (AI)-based systematic literature based on the SERVSIG Literature Alert database to identify articles related to H-M collaboration. Insights from these papers were analyzed to (1) trace the evolution of H-M collaboration research, (2) formulate an integrative framework spanning foundational resources through outcomes and (3) develop a future research agenda.FindingsThe paper develops an integrative framework describing the foundation, process, and outcomes of H-M teamwork in service settings. It also introduces a set of new articles from the special issue.Social implicationsThe paper underscores the ethical considerations (e.g. data biases, privacy and transparency) and broader societal concerns (e.g. job displacement and social inequality) and uniquely positions ethics as a cross-cutting theme (product, consumer and societal levels), moving beyond siloed ethical discussions in earlier work.Originality/valueUnlike earlier work focusing on either human replacement or narrow task automation, this paper proposes a teamwork perspective, showing how AI and humans are working together and combining capabilities to achieve outcomes together. It maps diverse empirical studies to a comprehensive framework, demonstrating its applicability and enriching theoretical rigor with real-world evidence.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-04-2025-0194 [Google]
Mele, C., T. Russo-Spena, A. Ranieri, I. Di Bernardo and L. D. Hollebeek (2025): Talking vs typing: how voice- vs text-based educational robots shape student engagement, JOURNAL OF SERVICE MANAGEMENT, (4402), pp.
PurposeThis study examines the role of voice-based (vs. text-based) educational robots in shaping students’ engagement. By focusing on the cognitive, emotional and behavioral dimensions of student engagement, it aims to provide insights into how different interaction styles influence the educational experience.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-methods approach was adopted, comprising two studies. Study 1 employed qualitative methods, including student diaries and group discussions, to identify the dimensions of students’ engagement. Deploying a structured questionnaire, Study 2 conducted quantitative analysis, including paired t-tests and Cohen’s d, to compare student engagement outcomes between the studied voice-based and text-based robots.FindingsThe results highlight how voice- and text-based educational robots shape student engagement differentially, identifying key hallmarks of students’ cognitive, emotional and behavioral engagement. The comparative analysis reveals that the voice-based robot is particularly effective in enhancing emotional and cognitive engagement, improving concentration, motivation and emotional connection through multisensory and personalized interactions. In contrast, the text-based robot excels in supporting autonomous learning by facilitating content review. Therefore, these robots promote behavioral engagement through different mechanisms, revealing their role as complementary tools to create students’ holistic educational experience.Originality/valueThis study provides novel insights into the role of voice-based (vs text-based) educational robots in shaping students’ engagement. By combining qualitative and quantitative approaches, our analyses offer novel academic and practical implications for the adoption of educational robots in shaping student engagement.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-02-2024-0082 [Google]
Ravi, J. V. P., J.-H. Meyer, R. Palau-Saumell and D. Seernani (2025): It’s not only what is said, but how: how user-expressed emotions predict satisfaction with voice assistants in different contexts, JOURNAL OF SERVICE MANAGEMENT, (4403), pp.
Purpose – Voice assistants (VAs) have reshaped customer service by offering new interaction channels. This study explores how user-expressed emotions during interactions with multimodal and voice-only devices across different contexts affect satisfaction. Capturing user emotions via voice tone and speech content analysis, we show that both device type and usage context are crucial in shaping user emotions and satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – In three laboratory experiments (n1 = 97; n2 = 97; n3 = 109) participants interacted with different device types in various contexts. The first and second experiments investigate task valence and complexity; the third explores the role of device anthropomorphism in eliciting consumer emotions and satisfaction. Findings – User satisfaction is contingent on both device type and usage context. Different device types are better suited for different tasks and usage contexts. The emotions which the users expressed via voice tone and speech content can explain the differences and should be considered when seeking to improve the user experience. Originality/value – This study proposes an innovative, objective way to assess VA users’ emotions holistically via voice and content, contributing to a better understanding of their role in enhancing or hindering the satisfaction of VA users.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-01-2024-0055 [Google]
Tiron-Tudor, A. and D. Deliu (2025): Charting the course: embedding corporate digital responsibility into service organizations’ decision-making, JOURNAL OF SERVICE MANAGEMENT, (4404), pp.
PurposeThis paper explores how corporate digital responsibility (CDR) can be integrated into organizational decision-making processes, particularly amid the digital transition to Industry 6.0. It aims to develop a framework to guide service organizations in adopting ethical, responsible and sustainable digital practices.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on a qualitative reflexive thematic analysis, this study develops a corporate digital responsibility decision-making framework (CDR-DMF). A focus group discussion was conducted to refine the initial framework, offering additional perspectives on its structure and applicability.FindingsThe study presents the CDR-DMF, a six-pillar framework designed to embed CDR into decision-making processes. It offers a systematic approach that supports organizations in promoting transparency, accountability, fairness and sustainability within service management.Practical implicationsThe CDR-DMF provides a structured, step-by-step roadmap to assist organizations in integrating ethical digital practices. Its scalable five-level structure enables businesses to progressively incorporate CDR principles across departments, operational units and business functions. This approach is intended to support organizations in aligning ethical digital responsibility with their resources and strategic priorities.Social implicationsEmbedding CDR into decision-making can help organizations build stakeholder trust, enhance resilience and promote societal well-being, ultimately contributing to a more equitable and sustainable digital society. The framework supports inclusive digital transformation by aligning technological advancement with ethical norms, human rights and collective well-being. It offers practical guidance for addressing issues such as digital divides, consumer protection and responsible AI development, thereby advancing digital justice.Originality/valueThis study introduces a novel approach to incrementally integrating CDR into organizational decision-making by conceptualizing how the CDR-DMF’s pillars interact to shape organizational behaviour. It provides actionable recommendations to strengthen digital responsibility, offering organizations a clear, practical path for adopting CDR principles at every stage of digital transformation and advancing both ethical innovation and digital stewardship.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-04-2024-0205 [Google]
Wetzels, R., M. Wetzels, D. Grewal and B. Doek (2025): Evoking trust in smart voice assistants, JOURNAL OF SERVICE MANAGEMENT, (4405), pp.1–27
PurposeTo unravel the drivers of service consumers’ parasocial relationships with artificial intelligence-enabled voice assistants (VAs), this study examines how VA frequency- and time-related paralinguistic features affect parasocial attraction of VAs. The authors zoom in on the interrelations between consumers’ social perceptions by exploring how parasocial attraction drives perceived anthropomorphism and trust in VAs.Design/methodology/approachIn an online experiment, a VA displayed high or low voice intonation and high or low speech rate. Self-reported data of 580 Prolific participants regarding their perceptions of parasocial attraction, anthropomorphism and trust were collected and subjected to partial least squares path modeling.FindingsThe results show a moderating role of VA speech rate on the effect of voice intonation on parasocial attraction, such that voice intonation increases VA parasocial attraction when speech rate is high. In turn, parasocial attraction drives trust in a VA, both directly and indirectly via perceived anthropomorphism.Research limitations/implicationsThe study outcomes can help designers and service managers design and infuse VAs in service frontlines within smart service systems, in ways that promise to enhance customer experiences and make services more inclusive.Originality/valueBy addressing the interplay between VAs’ frequency- and time-related paralinguistic features, this study offers new insights into the effects on consumers’ parasocial relationships with VAs and subsequent social perceptions. Such insights can benefit continued research into smart service systems.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-06-2024-0275 [Google]
Witell, L., H. Snyder, A. C. R. van Riel and M. Zaki (2025): AI as a change agent in an aging society: toward the sustainable behavior of service organizations and customers, JOURNAL OF SERVICE MANAGEMENT, (4406), pp.
PurposeThis research examines the unique sustainability challenges posed by an aging population and how artificial intelligence (AI) may be used to nudge service organizations and older adults toward more sustainable behaviors.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual framework (“the AI service triangle”) is developed by describing how four primary actors (AI, managers, employees and customers) through smart nudging and learning can change their principles and practices toward more sustainable behavior. Based on the conceptual framework, a research agenda is proposed, and empirical illustrations are presented, connecting concepts such as smart nudging, hyper-personalization, learning and aging.FindingsThis research explores how older adults can be supported in making their behavior more sustainable through smart nudging, emphasizing those principles and practices that promote sustainable choices. It further suggests how managers and employees of service organizations can be nudged to change toward more sustainable service provision for older adults. It also highlights the challenges posed by the need for hyper-personalization of smart nudges, while adhering to ethical principles of privacy and transparency.Originality/valueThe authors adopt a systems approach, which is required to resolve major global challenges, such as those caused by an aging population. It integrates multiple levels of analysis – of service organizations (managers and employees), older adult customers and AI – into a conceptual framework that can assist policymakers and managers in making better decisions to address grand challenges.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-10-2024-0436 [Google]
Yang, W., L. Wu, Y. Zhang and S. Q. Liu (2025): Happiness blooms from within: how mindset shapes consumer happiness after experiential consumption, JOURNAL OF SERVICE MANAGEMENT, (4407), pp.
PurposeThis article seeks to understand why some consumers derive greater happiness from experiential consumption, regardless of whether those experiences are perceived as positive or negative. Integrating the broaden-and-build theory, mindset theory and the concept of eudaimonia, this research examines how experiential valence and mindset collectively influence consumer happiness following experiential consumption.Design/methodology/approachThe research employs experimental methods, spotlight analysis and conditional indirect effect approaches to test the hypotheses.FindingsResults from two experimental studies demonstrate that mindset moderates the relationship between experiential valence and consumer happiness. Specifically, Study 1 shows that the effect of experiential valence on consumer happiness is less pronounced for growth-minded consumers than those with a fixed mindset, highlighting the transformative potential of a growth mindset to derive meaning and happiness even from adverse experiences. Furthermore, Study 2 reveals that eudaimonia – a positive state characterized by purpose, meaning and self-realization – serves as a critical psychological mechanism through which mindset shapes the link between experiential valence and consumer happiness.Practical implicationsThis research emphasizes the importance of understanding how mindset impacts happiness after experiential consumption of varying valence, offering actionable insights for service managers. Encouraging a growth mindset among consumers through targeted marketing strategies could mitigate the negative effects of service failures and enhance consumer happiness.Originality/valueThis article is the first to investigate the joint effects of experiential valence and mindset on consumer happiness in the context of experiential consumption. It also identifies eudaimonia as a key mechanism in this interplay, contributing to a deeper understanding of happiness in experiential consumption.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-10-2024-0450 [Google]
Dixon, M. J. and L. Victorino (2025): Peak Event Self-Scheduling: Implications for Service Demand Management, JOURNAL OF SERVICE RESEARCH, (4408), pp.
Services are often segmented into discrete events, allowing customers to self-schedule their own itinerary. We term this behavior as self-scheduling. We theorize that customers self-schedule peak events-those they predict will be their most salient-at predictable points, primarily for the bookends (i.e., at the beginning or the end). This behavior can create demand fluctuations and pose challenges for demand management. To examine this phenomenon, we conducted two exploratory studies. First, a survey using a tour context revealed a preference for self-scheduling the peak event at the beginning. A more balanced distribution between bookends emerged when information promoting the peak event was provided. Second, wait-time data from three major theme parks in the United States was collected during the summer of 2024 and validated that customers predominantly self-schedule peak events for the beginning. Next, we hypothesized how information provision may influence customers’ self-scheduling behavior of a peak event. A scenario-based experiment and a conjoint study in a theme park context found that practices enhancing perceived control (i.e., wayfinding and wait line management information) effectively shifted some of the demand from the beginning to later in a visit. We discuss insights to support demand management in self-scheduling service contexts.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10946705251354968 [Google]
Jung, H., P. Magnusson, C. M. Harmeling and V. A. Taylor (2025): Reexamining Consumers’ Foreign Bias Toward Service Providers: How International Conflicts Shape Consumer Healthcare Decision-Making, JOURNAL OF SERVICE RESEARCH, (4409), pp.
Although healthcare workforce shortages are global, countries with more severe gaps often recruit professionals from abroad. In particular, the proportion of foreign healthcare providers in the United States has increased substantially, creating new considerations and concerns in relation to consumer biases against foreign professionals. Most research treats foreign bias as uniform, but international conflicts may create unique forms of foreign bias, which we define as foreign conflict bias. Such events act like collective traumas, triggering shared emotional responses that subtly shape perceptions of safety and influence risk appraisals in future encounters when the conflict is made salient. A field study with consumer reviews of real healthcare providers before and after an international conflict and three experimental studies provide evidence that consumers anticipate greater risk from service providers associated with countries in conflict with their own. This increases their likelihood to switch providers and spread negative word of mouth, revealing a foreign conflict bias. This study clarifies the relevance of international conflicts for service research and practice and offers strategies to mitigate their negative effects.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10946705251357052 [Google]
Li, A., M. Huang and X. Chen (2025): The Easier, The Better? How Payment Services Influence the Usage of Offerings, JOURNAL OF SERVICE RESEARCH, (4410), pp.
Mobile payment services have gradually replaced traditional payment services (e.g., cash) and have become mainstream in some countries (e.g., China and Sweden). Prior research has mainly focused on comparing traditional payment services (e.g., cash and credit cards) and their impact on purchase outcomes (e.g., purchase intention). However, few studies have explored both traditional and non-traditional payment services (e.g., mobile payment services) on post-purchase outcomes (e.g., offering use). Through four experiments, this study reveals how different payment services (cash vs. mobile payment) might affect the usage of products or service offerings, especially in the long term. According to a laboratory field study, mobile payment (vs. cash) as a less (or more) painful payment form may encourage consumers’ short-term offering use, but may negatively affect long-term offering use. Payment pain mediates the relationship between payment services and short-term offering-use intentions, while pain of payment and perceived sunk costs sequentially mediate the effect of payment services on long-term offering use. Finally, an auditory confirmation service was introduced to alleviate the potential negative impact of mobile payment services on long-term offering use. This study enriches the knowledge on payment services and provides insights for mobile payment users.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10946705251341514 [Google]
Hwang, H., W.-M. Hur and Y. Shin (2025): Customer incivility and emotional labor from the perspective of the transactional model of stress: mediation of customer orientation and moderation of interpersonal conflict, JOURNAL OF SERVICE THEORY AND PRACTICE, (4411), pp.
PurposeThis study examines the effects of customer incivility on emotional labor through customer orientation and the moderating effects of conflict with supervisors or coworkers. This relationship can be explained using the transactional model of stress.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through a two-wave survey of 222 flight attendants working for a South Korean airline. The Mplus macro was used to test the relationship between customer orientation (leading to emotional labor through customer orientation) and the moderating effects of conflict with supervisors or coworkers.FindingsHigher levels of customer incivility were associated with lower customer orientation and deep acting. This relationship is moderated by conflicts with one’s supervisor.Originality/valueThis study focuses on employee conflict, which is underrepresented in service literature. Specifically, it examines the effects of customer incivility on emotional labor when employees experience internal conflict. The findings indicate that interpersonal conflict with one’s supervisor exacerbates the negative effects of customer incivility. The study shows that customer incivility reduces customer orientation and deep acting and, thus, provides insights into the importance of internal organizational conflict and customer interaction in managing service employees.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-04-2024-0124 [Google]
Jeseo, V. and K. K. L. Hall (2025): A framework for inclusive service experiences (FISE): bridging the gap between traditional and immersive offerings, JOURNAL OF SERVICE THEORY AND PRACTICE, (4412), pp.
Purpose We introduce the framework for inclusive service experiences (FISE), a novel conceptual model designed to advance inclusive service design by integrating accessibility principles into immersive technologies. Unlike prior frameworks that focus primarily on physical accessibility, the FISE integrates and extends Universal Design, Equity Theory, the Technology Acceptance Model and Service-Dominant logic to support inclusive, co-created service experiences across both traditional and immersive contexts. Design/methodology/approach The FISE is developed through a conceptual, cross-theoretical synthesis grounded in prior research and supported by narrative comparisons and visual mapping of accessibility gaps in service environments. Findings The FISE consists of four inclusive principles (equitable access, cognitive simplicity, flexible interaction modes and user-centered co-design) that guide service organizations in developing accessible experiences. Together, these principles promote trust, reduce exclusion and enhance service value for diverse consumer populations. Practical implications The FISE aims to support marginalized communities, informs inclusive innovation strategies and aligns with global equity goals by offering guidance for designing accessible services across traditional and immersive contexts. Originality/value This research introduces the first conceptual framework to integrate multiple service theories into a unified model for inclusive service design. The FISE extends the literature by bridging accessibility and digital inclusion, addressing systemic participation barriers and offering actionable design principles that support more equitable engagement across traditional and emerging offerings.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-12-2024-0468 [Google]
Rainoldi, M., A. Ladkin, D. Buhalis and B. Neuhofer (2025): Digital praxiography: a qualitative research toolkit for capturing digital service-related practices, JOURNAL OF SERVICE THEORY AND PRACTICE, (4413), pp.
Purpose -This paper introduces digital praxiography as a qualitative digital research approach that extends netnographic and praxiographic principles to provide a framework for studying practices in digital service environments. The study explains the foundational aspects of digital praxiography, emphasizing means of data collection and analysis for digital and digitally mediated service settings. Design/methodology/approach This study follows a conceptual review methodology. The review process was iterative and interpretive, enabling the synthesis of diverse theoretical perspectives. This approach facilitated the development of a novel methodological toolkit tailored for studying service-related practices, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of digital praxiography. Findings – The study reveals the potential of digital praxiography for researching digital service contexts. The paper discusses various data-collection modalities and their nuances, offering a detailed discussion of the application of digital praxiography and an agenda for future research. Originality/value – This paper contributes to service research by offering a novel and advanced guide for applying digital praxiography. It breaks new ground by integrating and expanding praxiographic and netnographic approaches. The paper’s unique contribution lies in its detailed guidance on method adaptation that can be transferred to any digital and digitally mediated service setting.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-02-2024-0055 [Google]
Segura, R. S., I. G. de Paredes and E. J. Manchado-Perez (2025): Expanding service design research: integrating netnography for qualitative studies in critical contexts, JOURNAL OF SERVICE THEORY AND PRACTICE, (4414), pp.
Purpose – This contribution describes the integration of netnography in critical contexts where traditional service design faces limitations, presenting the case of a neonatal intensive care unit clinical setting under COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Design/methodology/approach – Under tough constraints, netnographic immersion, digital surveys and remote participatory methods replaced successfully the intended ethnographic observation research. The study follows four phases: research approach, data collection, data analysis and sharing of findings. Findings – The findings highlight the potential of netnography for service design in highly constrained environments. Digital immersion facilitated contextual understanding and iterative co-creation. This hybrid approach helps to engage stakeholders and overcome access limitations in critical ecosystems such as healthcare. Research limitations/implications – The COVID-19 emergency prolonged the data collection process longer than expected. While work continued in 2022 and 2023, the main phase of the project was carried out under significant time pressure. Practical implications – This study provides guidelines for applying netnography in critical service design contexts. In healthcare, the model developed can be adopted in projects devoted to improve patient-centered service design, optimize healthcare workflows and enhance collaboration between frontline professionals and decision-makers. Social implications – The case demonstrates that digital tools can help to bridge geographical, cultural or institutional barriers. They can also facilitate participatory design processes in critical contexts. Originality/value – Previous studies have explored ethnographic approaches in service design and netnography in digital research. This study bridges the two and offers a scalable and adaptable approach for complex, critical service environments. The study delves into the use of digital tools to develop participatory research processes.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-02-2024-0062 [Google]
Song, B., Z. Cai and H. Xu (2025): How to shape consumer preference for service robots? A meta-analysis of use intention, JOURNAL OF SERVICE THEORY AND PRACTICE, (4415), pp.
PurposeRecent technical advancements have boosted service robot adoption in the service industry. To facilitate their integration in service delivery, this study develops and tests a framework that leverages human-robot interaction to shape consumer preferences and focuses on how technical innovation in service robots can contribute to improving service value perception.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducts a meta-analysis to integrate the data of 81 independent studies, encompassing a total sample size of 59,328 participants. This study aims to explain the sociotechnical mechanisms that underpin service robot adoption and their role in enhancing consumers’ perception of service value.FindingsThis study explores the factors and psychological mechanisms that may influence customer intentions and offers new insights and a comprehensive research agenda for marketing. This study reveals that technology and sociality are factors that can drive the use of service robots.Originality/valueThis study integrates the service robot acceptance model and the interactive technology acceptance model to develop a comprehensive framework grounded in sociotechnical theory to understand service robots. By advancing the literature on relationship marketing, this study reveals the technical and social factors that can influence consumers’ willingness to adopt service robots. Furthermore, this study provides valuable insights for targeted marketing strategies in the field of service innovation.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-12-2024-0425 [Google]
Suess, C., B. Taheri and J. E. Maddock (2025): Understanding perceived healing through biophilic hospital room virtual reality scenarios, JOURNAL OF SERVICE THEORY AND PRACTICE, (4416), pp.
Purpose-Motivated by the psychoevolutionary theory, this study investigated the impact of a biophilic environment in hospital rooms presented in virtual reality (VR) to simulated patients on perceived healing. It explored how varying degrees of nature exposure through window views, indoor plants and green-themed d & eacute;cor, influenced patients’ recovery perceptions, offering insights into evidence-based healthcare design. Design/methodology/approach-A total of 12 VR scenarios of a hospital room were created, manipulating biophilic design elements. Participants rated the extent to which each scenario was perceived to contribute to the ability to heal after undergoing a hospital patient transportation narrative and acute external stressor process. The ratings were analyzed using full-profile conjoint and group conjoint analyses. Findings-The results demonstrated that views of dense green nature from the window, abundant indoor plants and green colored room d & eacute;cor had the highest utility scores among attributes influencing the room’s perceived contribution to healing. In contrast, views of adjacent buildings and the hospital building envelope were negatively associated with perceived healing. Research limitations/implications-Higher saturation of a green environment and interior design in hospitals, including views of nature from windows, higher quantities of indoor plants and prevalence of green-colored d & eacute;cor, can potentially boost patients’ healing confidence and psychological recovery, supporting their overall therapeutic experience. Originality/value-This study explores simulated patients’ perceptions of hospital room environments in VR, focusing on biophilic and verdant environments. It examines views of nature, buildings and the sky through windows, presence of plants and interior design features including green walls.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-12-2024-0459 [Google]
Sundararajan, R., P. Menon and B. Jayakrishnan (2025): Value co-creation using virtual reality service experiences, JOURNAL OF SERVICE THEORY AND PRACTICE, (4417), pp.1–19
Purpose – Technological transformation is playing a crucial role in value co-creation for both customers and firms through enhanced customer experiences. This study examines the value co-creation process within the service ecosystem by applying Service-Dominant Logic (SDL) theory to the use of virtual reality in real estate projects. Specifically, we study the complex interplay between various dimensions of customer service experience, immersive service satisfaction, customer advocacy, and flow construct in co-creating value. Design/methodology/approach – Using the brand experiential scale and customer advocacy as the primary constructs, this study was conducted amongst 230 respondents by subjecting them to a Virtual Reality (VR) housing tour experience. Findings – Findings reveal a positive impact on four out of five (sensory, affective, cognitive and behavioral) dimensions of the customer experience due to the introduction of VR spaces. Furthermore, immersive service satisfaction and flow mediate the relationship between customer experience and customary advocacy. This study also identifies the customer segments most affected by the VR experience. Research limitations/implications – This study demonstrates the application of VR services for value co-creation in immersive spaces, which is useful to academics and practitioners. VR developers, strategists, and marketers can significantly benefit from this research by identifying key dimensions of customer experience to prioritize across diverse customer segments, thereby enhancing their offerings to cultivate a more comprehensive and impactful customer experience. Originality/value – Value co-creation in the form of immersive service satisfaction and flow is a novel addition to the SDL theory, making this research unique in concept and contribution. By integrating immersive service satisfaction and flow into SDL theory, this research presents a unique conceptual advancement, emphasizing the psychological and experiential dimensions of value co-creation, thus enhancing theoretical applicability and practical insights in the context of SDL immersive technologies to foster deeper customer engagement and co-creation.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-12-2024-0463 [Google]
Vancaillie, S., P. Gemmel, L. Alkire, M. De Regge, B. R. Meijboom and R. Fisk (2025): Exploring the role of time in service: a mapping review based on temporal orientations and their cognitive actions, JOURNAL OF SERVICE THEORY AND PRACTICE, (4418), pp.
Purpose – This study enhances the clarity on the current state of empirical service research on subjective time by distinguishing between intrasubjective and intersubjective time orientations and three related cognitive actions: time travel, time perception, and time interpretation. This highlights how subjective time influences key service phenomena, including customer experience, engagement, value co-creation, and well-being. Design/methodology/approach – A mapping review of 10 major service research journals was conducted to assess how temporal orientations and their cognitive actions were represented in empirical service research. Findings – This review contributes to an in-depth understanding of how time-in-service research is evolving from a purely objective orientation to recognizing the complexity of subjective time in its intrasubjective and intersubjective orientations. It identifies a significant focus on intrasubjective time, particularly in relation to customer experience. However, the potential for intersubjective time in service interactions has been overlooked, opening new research and managerial opportunities. This study also reveals the fragmented terminology in time-related research, which hinders theoretical development and cross-study comparisons. Practical implications – Service practitioners and managers should be aware that actors such as customers and service providers not only perceive but also interpret time differently based on their past, present, and projected future experiences. Service designs should prioritize adaptability, enabling adjustments that align with customers’ evolving temporal needs and expectations. Originality/value – This is the first comprehensive synthesis and research agenda on the role of subjective time and its implications for service research.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-11-2024-0397 [Google]
Yang, J., L. Jia, Z. Chen, F. Tian, R. Gao and Y. Huang (2025): Innovating under pressure: how task crafting and fun activities shape service innovation in tourism employees, JOURNAL OF SERVICE THEORY AND PRACTICE, (4419), pp.
Purpose Building upon the job demand-resource theory, this study examines the nonlinear relationship between performance pressure and service innovative behavior (SIB) of frontline employees in the tourism industry. It also explores the mediating role of task crafting and the moderating effect of fun activities.Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 454 supervisor-subordinate dyads in China’s tourism industry across three waves and subsequently analyzed.Findings The results show that (1) performance pressure has a significant inverted U-shaped relationship with both task crafting and employees’ SIB, (2) task crafting mediates the relationship between performance pressure and employees’ SIB, and (3) fun activities moderate the mediating role of task crafting between performance pressure and employees’ SIB.Originality/value The contributions of this study are as follows: (1) Identifying a nonlinear relationship between performance pressure and employees’ SIB in the tourism sector; (2) Highlighting the mediating role of task crafting from a resources perspective; (3) Establishing the boundary conditions of fun activities, extending the theoretical understanding of workplace fun.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-05-2025-0168 [Google]
Akgun, A. E., H. Keskin and P. N. Comert (2025): Contemplative mindfulness and its influence on firm service performance: a configurational analysis, JOURNAL OF SERVICES MARKETING, (4420), pp.
PurposeThis study aims to explore the implementation of contemplative mindfulness, rooted in Eastern traditions, in service-oriented firms. It examines how employees’ mindfulness practices impact key service outcomes, including service creativity performance and adaptive behavior in service offerings, which have been underexplored in prior research.Design/methodology/approachThis study examines 282 service firms using 565 questionnaires. It uses fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to explore the relationship between contemplative mindfulness practices and service performance-related variables.FindingsThis study reveals that a heightened presence of practices related to mind and memory, present-moment awareness and right effort is indispensable for achieving higher levels of service creativity performance. In addition, this study identifies that present-moment awareness and attention practices, along with the right effort, are necessary for facilitating adaptive behavior in service offerings. Furthermore, this study highlights that clear comprehension practices and ethical viewpoints are peripheral conditions that influence both service creativity performance and adaptive behavior in service offerings.Research limitations/implicationsThe study’s focus on 282 firms and its specific survey methodology limit the generalizability of the findings to other industries.Practical implicationsFirms seeking to boost service creativity and adaptability should acknowledge the crucial role of contemplative mindfulness practices practiced by employees in service settings and actively promote awareness of their numerous benefits for staff.Originality/valueThis study adds to the existing literature on service management by going beyond Western-centric mindfulness ideas to examine contemplative mindfulness. It also creates a practical framework for applying contemplative mindfulness practices in service firms.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-01-2025-0010 [Google]
Baillod, C. and O. Furrer (2025): Immigrant customers’ service encounters: a thematic analysis and fsQCA study, JOURNAL OF SERVICES MARKETING, (4421), pp.
PurposeThis study aims to examine immigrant customers’ service experiences with local employees during daily service encounters. It identifies key factors affecting these experiences and explores how combinations of such factors shape particularly positive and negative encounters.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a retrospective experience sampling approach to collect detailed descriptions of immigrant customers’ real-life encounters with local employees, along with complementary quantitative data. They applied thematic analysis and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to explore critical factors and configurations associated with distinct encounter outcomes.FindingsLanguage barriers, insufficient service knowledge, and the broader immigrant condition often cause difficulties, negative emotions and experiences of vulnerability during daily service interactions. Yet, immigrant customers’ experiences are not shaped by individual factors in isolation, but by how conditions combine and interplay. Employee-related factors, particularly dedication and benevolence, can mitigate challenges and play a decisive role in shaping the overall experience and outcome of the encounter.Practical implicationsThe findings offer practical insights to improve service provision for immigrant customers and provide a foundation for further research involving various immigrant subgroups or other types of customer groups that are likely to experience vulnerability in service contexts.Originality/valueThis study advances understanding of immigrant customers’ daily service experiences through a holistic, interactional perspective, offering comprehensive and nuanced insights into how these experiences unfold. It also highlights the transformative potential of daily service encounters, which have so far been underexplored.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-11-2024-0574 [Google]
Carlini, J. (2025): Navigating mutual vulnerability in complex services: co-designing narrative image transformative service initiatives (TSIs), Journal of Services Marketing, 39(4422), pp.659–672
Purpose: This research examines the dynamics of mutual vulnerability in complex services, with a focus on healthcare transitions from curative to end-of-life care. This study aims to explore how narrative-driven, visual storytelling methods can address vulnerabilities shared by consumers and service providers in these contexts. Design/methodology/approach: A narrative review informed the development of a theoretical framework, which was applied to an empirical case study using a qualitative ethnographic approach. Research was conducted at an Australian tertiary hospital, engaging 32 end-of-life stakeholders in a co-design session. Inductive content analysis identified explicit and underlying themes, informing the framework’s practical application. Findings: Synthesized from existing literature, the transformative vulnerability-response framework explores how mutual vulnerability emerges when consumers and service providers confront shared challenges. By integrating participatory approaches such as community forums and arts-based methods, a novel process was developed for co-designing narrative image transformative service initiatives (NI-TSIs). This process, encapsulated in the IMAGE process, seeks to address and mitigate mutual vulnerability factors. The five-step IMAGE process includes: Step 1: Initiating community engagement, Step 2: Mapping individual and group experiences, Step 3: Articulating insights via graphic expression, Step 4: Generating creative briefs for design, and Step 5: Executing artist collaboration for visual storytelling. IMAGE offers a comprehensive approach, gathering insights from diverse stakeholders to enhance humanized well-being outcomes through narrative images. Originality/value: This study advances the understanding of mutual vulnerability in complex services, presenting the IMAGE process as a novel approach to develop NI-TSIs. Theoretically and practically, it provides valuable insights for improving outcomes in complex service environments.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-03-2024-0103 [Google]
Dao, P. Q., M. Holmlund and J. Gummerus (2025): Viewpoint: service design’s promise in times of crisis, JOURNAL OF SERVICES MARKETING, (4423), pp.
Purpose – This study aims to propose service design (SD) as a promising approach for mitigating crises. It also examines how SD has been applied to address crises originating outside the organization, with a particular focus on shifts in consumer behaviour. Design/methodology/approach – This viewpoint draws on an exploratory scoping review and interviews with SD experts from small and medium-sized enterprises. The empirical context for the study is the COVID-19 pandemic, which serves as a representative crisis scenario. Findings – There is limited research on the role of SD across different types of crises. This study develops a framework that positions SD as a human-centred, interaction-based activity during crises. It further suggests that SD can be used both before and after crises, indicating that organizations can build SD capabilities and enhance their resilience by learning from past crises and by proactively preparing for a range of potential future disruptions. Originality/value – This viewpoint explores the importance of understanding consumer behaviour and shifts in the business environment during times of crisis. It proposes a framework that highlights the promise of SD in such contexts – emphasizing not only responsive actions during crises but also a forward-looking approach.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-01-2025-0058 [Google]
De Sousa, T. M. F., F. S. Bizarrias, L. L. Raposo and D. L. da Cruz (2025): When AI becomes afterlife: psychological factors driving acceptance of thanabots services, JOURNAL OF SERVICES MARKETING, (4424), pp.
Purpose – Grief is an inherent human experience that triggers distinctive coping responses. Advances in artificial intelligence now allow “thanabot” services, digital avatars that emulate deceased individuals, to offer novel forms of bereavement support. This study aims to investigate the psychological factors that drive the acceptance and use of these services.Design/methodology/approach – Guided by Terror Management Theory (TMT), the research tests a theoretical model of thanabot acceptance through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and necessary condition analysis (NCA). An exploratory netnographic and documentary content analysis of online user narratives supplements and contextualizes the quantitative results.Findings – Quantitative results show that escapism, coping and mortality salience act as mediators of thanabot acceptance. Realism interacts with social support to enhance perceived emotional benefits, especially during early engagement. Furthermore, lower levels of psychological readiness are identified as necessary preconditions for acceptance. The qualitative insights reinforce these mechanisms, revealing four emergent themes: symbolic continuity, emotional scaffolding, perceived realism and personalization and ethical ambivalence. Social support emerged as a recurring factor shaping emotional meaning and user engagement.Originality/value – This research pioneers the application of TMT to AI-mediated grief technologies and proposes an integrated psychological framework for technology acceptance in emotionally sensitive contexts. The combined use of NCA and PLS-SEM advances service-research methodology by revealing both predictive pathways and boundary conditions, while qualitative insights enrich theoretical depth and inform the ethical design of thanabot services.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-01-2025-0052 [Google]
Del Giudice, O. N., M. N. González Martínez and S. Kabadayi (2025): Community care as a strength-based strategy to mitigate vulnerabilities: an empirical study in Latin America and the Caribbean, Journal of Services Marketing, 39(4425), pp.695–709
Purpose: This paper aims to explore how ancestral native community care practices can support and strengthen organizational efforts to increase service inclusion. Specifically, it highlights various community care practices that can complement organizational initiatives aimed at enhancing the well-being of vulnerable communities. Design/methodology/approach: This paper explores five native communities in Latin America and the Caribbean through an eight-month study. Semistructured interviews and focus groups were conducted and applied thematic analysis was used to identify how those communities adopt strength-based strategies to mitigate vulnerabilities. Findings: This study demonstrates how native communities in Latin America and the Caribbean adopt community care to address challenges in accessing services through disseminating, empowering and caring practices. It further illustrates how micro- and meso-level interactions generate transformational mechanisms that mitigate vulnerabilities and produce macro-level outcomes that enhance well-being. Research limitations/implications: This paper contributes to transformative service research by advancing the strength-based approach to addressing vulnerabilities and highlights how community-based care practices generate transformational mechanisms that complement organizational efforts, enhance service inclusion and promote culturally grounded well-being within transformative service initiatives. Practical implications: This research discusses how integrating community-based systems into contemporary service frameworks enhances the effectiveness of transformative service initiatives, acknowledges community knowledge and promotes sustainable, empowering and community-driven development. Originality/value: This paper acknowledges the pivotal role of native meso-level practices in adopting strength-based strategies to mitigate vulnerabilities in accessing services in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-05-2024-0235 [Google]
Dimitrova, I. (2025): On the edge: bank customers’ upcoming resistance to the full-adoption of digital payment methods, JOURNAL OF SERVICES MARKETING, (4426), pp.
PurposeBased on the dialogue, access, risk and transparency (DART) model and bank customers’ experiences of financial service failure, this study aims to propose a research model as part of a conceptual framework. The framework includes a barrier, co-destruction and resistance, and the study identifies the attributes mediating barriers and resistance to full-adoption of digital payment methods (DPMs).Design/methodology/approachThis study applied a traditional netnographic approach by collecting and analysing approximately 1,000 comments about service failure on the social media posts of a major Swedish and a major German retail bank. The data were parallel coded, manually and by ChatGPT (versions 3.5 and 4o mini), in an attempt to validate the findings.FindingsBased on the DART model, the four linked attributes (i.e. monologue, uncertainty, restriction and ambiguity) created the MURA model as part of the barrier, co-destruction and resistance framework. The MURA model may mediate the access barrier and resistance to the potential full adoption of DPMs. Despite different digital payment contexts, both the Swedish and German bank customers have experienced all four attributes related to value co-destruction, indicating their temporary vulnerability.Originality/valueThis study breaks new ground regarding applied method and theory, being among the few using a traditional netnographic approach in the digital banking context. It also identifies new attributes, develops a reversed DART model and proposes a conceptual framework of value co-destruction related to DPM full-adoption.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-05-2024-0201 [Google]
Espitia, L. F. F., M. S. Rosenbaum and G. Contreras-Ramirez (2025): Reimagining the servicescape: a systematic review and multi-stakeholderconceptual framework, JOURNAL OF SERVICES MARKETING, (4427), pp.
PurposeThis study aims to examine the evolution of the Servicescape concept over three decades of scholarship and introduces a Multi-Dimensional Servicescape Model that reflects emerging stakeholder needs and design priorities.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review of 261 peer-reviewed articles published between 1992 and 2024 was conducted. The review identifies four phases in the conceptual development of Servicescape research and synthesizes key environmental dimensions examined across contexts.FindingsThe review traces the shift from foundational focus on physical design to more holistic perspectives incorporating sensory, symbolic and co-created experiences. The resulting model integrates six dimensions, physical, social, technological, symbolic, natural and spiritual, and adopts a multi-stakeholder lens that includes consumers, employees and communities. It links environmental cues to cognitive, emotional and behavioral responses, generating stakeholder-specific outcomes such as satisfaction, loyalty, emotional well-being and civic belonging.Practical implicationsThe findings offer service managers a framework for designing emotionally resonant, inclusive and technologically adaptive environments that support satisfaction, loyalty and well-being for both consumers and employees.Social implicationsThe model encourages service designs that promote emotional well-being, inclusion and civic belonging. By addressing the needs of consumers, employees and communities, it supports accessible and culturally sensitive environments in sectors such as healthcare, education and public services.Originality/valueThe model extends prior frameworks by incorporating underexplored dimensions (e.g. spirituality, biomorphism), addressing calls for inclusive and transformative service environments. It provides a flexible foundation for empirical testing and contributes to the structured conceptual development of Servicescape as a distinct domain within service research.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-04-2025-0270 [Google]
Geritz, C. and M. M. Raciti (2025): How consumers self-manage service interaction vulnerability to autonomously improve satisfaction modes, Journal of Services Marketing, 39(4428), pp.614–626
Purpose: This paper aims to better understand the relationships between consumer expectation-experience mismatches, the dissonance-induced service interaction vulnerability that arises from these mismatches, and the strategies consumers experiencing vulnerability autonomously enact to self-manage their satisfaction modes. Design/methodology/approach: This paper qualitatively (n = 20) explores the role of gist representations, being the essence of services marketing information that is used to generate an abstract mental picture. Specifically, this research explores the influence of gist representations in creating pre-commencement expectations among consumers experiencing vulnerability. It exposes how unmet gist-informed expectations induce consumer service interaction vulnerability and trigger autonomous vulnerability responses to elicit Oliver’s (1989) various modes of satisfaction. Three research propositions are tested in a complex multi-touchpoint service ecosystem. Findings: Data revealed that unmet expectations triggered a two-phased autonomous inaction-then-action response, with inaction resulting in either tolerance or regret satisfaction modes, followed by action, which results in either pleasure or relief satisfaction modes. Originality/value: Growing research into service interaction vulnerability seeks to understand the role consumers experiencing vulnerability play in improving their experience within service ecosystems. These findings provide insights to strategically shape service ecosystem design to mitigate interaction vulnerability by applying a strengths-based lens that foregrounds consumers’ capacity for autonomous dissonance responses to self-manage service interaction vulnerability and self-improve their consumer satisfaction modes.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-04-2024-0193 [Google]
Giraldo, M., M. S. Rosenbaum, G. Contreras-Ramirez, C. Mejia and D. Juliao-Esparragoza (2025): Trapped in informality: a transformative service study of refugee women’s labor in Colombia, JOURNAL OF SERVICES MARKETING, (4429), pp.
PurposeThis study aims to examine how Venezuelan refugee women navigate informal service employment in Colombia and identifies systemic barriers to their formal labor inclusion. The research contributes to transformative service research (TSR) by viewing employment as a service domain shaping refugee well-being.Design/methodology/approachUsing a mixed-methods design, the study integrates a large-scale survey of 3,016 Venezuelan refugee women with in-depth interviews from ten service-sector employers. Findings are interpreted through the lenses of TSR, the migrant customer journey framework and the refugee service experience framework. By integrating perspectives from both refugee women and employers, the study generates insights that inform theory and practice on inclusive labor service systems.FindingsStudy 1 reveals that refugee women face legal, digital and caregiving-related barriers that constrain them to informal service roles. Study 2 highlights employer-side constraints such as credential distrust and gendered hiring norms. A conceptual framework illustrates how systemic factors produce precarious employment conditions and outlines potential service system interventions.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is geographically limited to northern Colombia and does not examine long-term employment outcomes. Future research should explore refugee labor integration across regions and over time.Practical implicationsThe study offers guidance for service organizations, HR professionals and policymakers seeking to reduce hiring barriers and improve employment quality for refugee women.Social implicationsPromoting formal employment access for refugee women contributes to gender equity, poverty reduction and local economic growth. Addressing labor exclusion helps reduce social fragmentation, supports integration and aligns with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #8.Originality/valueThis research advances refugee-focused service theory by positioning labor as a critical touchpoint in the refugee service journey. It expands TSR by identifying informal work as a site of both resilience and exclusion and offers actionable guidance for inclusive labor practices aligned with SDG 8.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-03-2025-0161 [Google]
Grech, N., D. A. Greer and R. Russell-Bennett (2025): Co-creating inclusive public services with customers experiencing vulnerability, Journal of Services Marketing, 39(4430), pp.645–658
Purpose: Service inclusion empowers customers to self-determine their life and future. Using the motivation-opportunity-ability framework and a strengths-based approach to vulnerability, this study aims to examine the lived experience of secondary school students experiencing vulnerability to better understand how they are motivated, provided the opportunity and able to co-create an inclusive mass public education service. Design/methodology/approach: Twenty secondary school students who attend high school in a low socioeconomic area undertook semi-structured interviews and co-design activities to investigate how customers experiencing vulnerability co-create value in public secondary education services. This grounded theory approach used inductive-deductive thematic analysis to analyse interviews transcript and data artefacts from the co-design activities. Findings: The results show that customers experiencing vulnerability in public secondary education services are intrinsically motivated to co-create inclusive services. Customers provided with opportunities to co-create will use their agency to drive co-creation, perceiving that they are competent to co-create when drawing on past practices and being facilitated by structured freedom. Co-creation is supported by a sense of belonging but impeded by a range of micro-, meso- and macro-level barriers. Customers that co-create inclusive services are subsequently more likely to exhibit engagement. Originality/value: This research provides empirical evidence to support transformative service research theorising that enabling opportunities and offering choice leads to more inclusive service experiences for customers experiencing vulnerability. Perceptions of service captivity can also be improved by co-creation.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-04-2024-0191 [Google]
Hampton, S., A. L. Matthews and K. Coy (2025): Unraveling the knot of consumer reviews: how stars and descriptions impact purchase intentions, JOURNAL OF SERVICES MARKETING, (4431), pp.
PurposeThis study aims to examine how quantitative star ratings, qualitative reviews of the service process and qualitative reviews of service outcomes uniquely impact consumer purchase intentions, particularly when online reviews are not monotonic.Design/methodology/approachThis study involves four experimental studies with diverse participant samples, manipulating review elements – quantitative ratings, process-descriptive reviews and outcome-descriptive reviews – to assess their effects on purchase intent. Participants were presented with scenarios from both experience- and credence-based services to evaluate the impact of service type.FindingsBoth quantitative and qualitative reviews positively influenced purchase intent, with qualitative reviews having a stronger impact. Outcome-descriptive reviews consistently drove purchase decisions, while process-descriptive reviews mitigated negative perceptions when outcomes were less favorable or when signals were mixed. In credence services, process quality acted as a critical proxy for outcome quality, enhancing perceptions of service quality and expertise.Practical implicationsService managers can enhance reputation management by motivating detailed outcome reviews and prompting positive process reviews to mitigate negative feedback, especially in credence services. Training staff to improve service process can also serve as a key differentiator when outcomes are less immediately observable.Originality/valueThis study adds to service marketing literature by highlighting the distinct impacts of qualitative and quantitative review components across different service contexts. It offers insights into which aspects of reviews most influence consumer purchase intentions, providing actionable guidance for service managers on where to focus their efforts.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-10-2024-0526 [Google]
Jeseo, V. and J. H. Tatara (2025): Responding to illegitimate negative reviews: how defensive responses affect purchase intentions, JOURNAL OF SERVICES MARKETING, (4432), pp.
PurposeThis paper examines how service firm responses to illegitimate negative online reviews influence third-party observers’ purchase intentions. Specifically, it investigates the benefits and risks of a “callout” strategy, where a company publicly refutes misleading or false complaints.Design/methodology/approachThree experimental studies were conducted. Study 1 employs a monetary allocation experiment to examine consumer decision-making processes and outcomes following different firm response strategies (no response, apology and callout). Study 2 investigates the psychological mechanisms (blame and credibility appraisals) that mediate the effect of firm responses on third-party purchase intentions. Study 3 examines how verbal aggression within the callout influences these outcomes.FindingsDefensive responses that call out illegitimate reviewers can increase third-party purchase intentions by shifting blame to the reviewer, diminishing the reviewer’s credibility. However, overly aggressive callouts damage the service provider’s credibility and reduce purchase intentions.Originality/valueThis research advances the service recovery and online impression management literature by identifying when and how defensive responses to illegitimate negative reviews can benefit (or harm) firms. It also highlights the importance of blame and credibility as mediators and introduces verbal aggression as a critical factor. Findings offer both theoretical insights and practical guidance for service managers navigating the complexities of responding to illegitimate negative online reviews.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-11-2024-0594 [Google]
Keating, B. W., T. Alahakoon, G. Mortimer and F. Mathmann (2025): Advocating for consumers experiencing vulnerability: a typology and research agenda, Journal of Services Marketing, 39(4433), pp.596–613
Purpose: This paper aims to introduce a typology of service advocates to address a gap in existing literature regarding how transformative service mediators (TSMs) manage both access to resources and empowerment for consumers experiencing vulnerability. The typology focuses on the role of advocates within service ecosystems and provides the illustrative case of young adults with psychosocial disabilities seeking employment to demonstrate the application of the typology. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on the Dialogue, Access, Risk Assessment and Transparency model, the paper expands existing classifications of TSMs. The research also uses an illustrative case to show how four types of service advocates – policymakers, gatekeepers, supporters and champions – work together to ameliorate vulnerability within a government-funded employment project for young adults with psychosocial disabilities. Findings: The paper conceptualizes how the interplay between the roles and responsibilities of different service advocates influences empowerment and access to resources within a service ecosystem. The discussion focuses on how service advocates at different levels (macro, meso and micro) within a service ecosystem must collaborate to reduce consumer vulnerability. An illustrative case is used to show how effective service ecosystems build on the capabilities of different advocates to support consumers experiencing vulnerability, and how this outcome is sometimes undermined by conflicts and tensions embedded in the institutional logics of different service advocates. Originality/value: This paper fills a critical gap in transformative service research by offering a more nuanced understanding of how service advocates manage empowerment and access to resources. A research agenda is provided to guide future research exploring opportunities for how the different types of service advocates can overcome obstacles to prevail in the fight against vulnerability.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-10-2024-0518 [Google]
Kim, W. and J. In (2025): Digitalization of service delivery and patient engagement in healthcare: a complementarity perspective, JOURNAL OF SERVICES MARKETING, (4434), pp.
PurposeThis study aims to conceptualize hospital digitalization in two dimensions: service delivery (supply side) and engagement (demand side). It empirically examines how the complementarity between these two forms of digitalization relates to hospital performance, especially in terms of experiential quality and financial performance.Design/methodology/approachThe authors explore the complementary effect of service delivery and engagement digitalization by analyzing data from multiple sources on short-term acute care hospitals in the USA. The authors evaluate the research model using moderated hierarchical regression with robust standard errors.FindingsWhile both service delivery and engagement digitalization are related to financial benefits, only engagement digitalization is associated with experiential quality, highlighting their distinct performance advantages. The analysis also reveals that the two forms offer complementary financial benefits.Practical implicationsThe study supports the argument that digitally enabled care environments offer tangible advantages to health-care providers. Additionally, providers must recognize the distinct characteristics of service delivery and engagement digitalization and their impact on financial and care experience benefits. Given the empirical evidence of their complementarity, health-care providers should adopt an integrated approach to hospital digitalization.Originality/valueThis study offers a new perspective on the relationship between hospital digitalization and performance by conceptualizing hospital digitalization as service delivery and engagement. It also empirically examines their complementarity, revealing additional hospital digitalization benefits that have been overlooked in the literature.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-09-2024-0466 [Google]
Kuppelwieser, V., N. Cobelli, F. Cassia and M. S. Rosenbaum (2025): AI-enhanced literature reviews: liberating scholars for impact in service marketing, JOURNAL OF SERVICES MARKETING, (4435), pp.
Purpose- This viewpoint article examines how artifical intelligence (AI) is transforming service marketing research specifically by enhancing literature reviews, thereby freeing scholars to focus on developing more meaningful theoretical, managerial and societal implications. Design/methodology/approach- The paper synthesizes established publishing guidelines with emerging AI applications in research, connecting these developments to Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)’s 2020 emphasis on societal impact. It explores how AI can address traditional research challenges while democratizing high-quality scholarship across diverse institutional contexts. Findings – AI tools significantly enhance literature review comprehensiveness and efficiency, allowing researchers to redirect intellectual energy toward impact-focused outcomes. The paper identifies specific strategies for maintaining critical judgment while using AI throughout the research process, from literature synthesis through implications development. Research limitations/implications- The framework offers pathways for researchers at both research-intensive and teaching-intensive institutions to enhance their scholarly contributions. It particularly benefits faculty with heavy teaching loads by compressing initial research stages, potentially diversifying the perspectives represented in marketing scholarship. Practical implications- The paper provides actionable guidance for researchers seeking to integrate AI into their workflow while maintaining scholarly integrity. It also offers journal editors and doctoral program directors perspective on evaluating and teaching AI-assisted research methods. Social implications- By emphasizing societal impact and providing structured approaches to operationalize such considerations throughout the research process, the paper supports AACSB’s vision of business schools as positive forces for change while addressing the challenge of documenting noncitation forms of impact. Originality/value- This is among the first comprehensive frameworks for integrating AI into academic marketing research while enhancing rather than compromising scholarly values. It reconceptualizes the research process for the AI era while addressing inequalities in research resources across institutional contexts.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-05-2025-0330 [Google]
Kwon, A., L. Chung and Y. Namkung (2025): Can service technologies make you feel justice like human agents?, JOURNAL OF SERVICES MARKETING, (4436), pp.
PurposeThe widespread integration of service technologies has highlighted the need to effectively manage technology-based service failures and recoveries. This study aims to analyze how different types of service failures and service agents impact perceptions of service justice and, consequently, how they influence revisit intentions in technology-embedded restaurants.Design/methodology/approachThis research conducts a 2×2 between-subjects scenario-based experimental design and self-report questionnaire survey.FindingsThe results reveal that service process failures have a more substantial negative impact on procedural, interactional and distributive justice than outcome failures. To address these failures, humans are more effective than technology agents in restoring service justice. Significant interaction effects show that procedural and distributive justice are lowest when technology agents handle process-related service failures. The effects of service failure and recovery types on revisit intentions are mediated by service justice.Originality/valueThis research expands the scope of services marketing literature by synthesizing service justice theory and role congruity theory to explain how justice is perceived in technology-embedded restaurant environments. The study demonstrates that service justice remains critical in technology-driven service failures and recoveries, and that humans play a particularly important role in restoring justice. These findings offer both theoretical and practical implications for managing justice in technology-mediated service interactions.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-08-2024-0415 [Google]
Liu, X.-X., C.-Y. Yin and M.-R. Li (2025): The impact of physical doll companions on solo diners’ restaurant attachment, JOURNAL OF SERVICES MARKETING, (4437), pp.
PurposeWith solo dining increasingly common, it is essential to investigate the role of restaurant practices that cater to this trend. This paper aims to explore the effect of dining with (vs without) a physical doll provided by a restaurant on solo diners’ restaurant attachment, and its underlying mechanism and boundary conditions.Design/methodology/approachFour scenario-based experiments with a between-subjects design were performed to test the proposed hypotheses. These experiments differed in both dining setting and the physical doll stimulus.FindingsThe results indicate that dining with (vs without) a physical doll leads solo diners to exhibit higher restaurant attachment. This effect is mediated by psychological comfort and moderated by loneliness and table distance. Specifically, dining with (vs without) a physical doll boosts restaurant attachment through psychological comfort among solo diners with higher loneliness and in the far table distance condition, but not among solo diners with lower loneliness and in the close condition.Research limitations/implicationsThis research focuses on the impact of physical dolls on solo diners’ psychological comfort and attachment in a restaurant context. The findings have significant implications for restaurant profitability and consumer well-being. This research also has several limitations regarding the transferability of findings, sample sources and the comparison of different dining companions, requiring attention in future research.Practical implicationsFindings can help restaurant practitioners understand when and how to use physical dolls to enhance solo diners’ psychological comfort and attachment, thereby effectively attracting and retaining this important customer group and ultimately achieving sustainable financial performance.Originality/valueThis research expands the investigation into the factors influencing restaurant attachment in the solo dining context by not limiting to human-human and human-robot interactions, and deepens the comprehension of the psychological effects of physical dolls, a unique type of non-human co-located dining companion.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-11-2024-0561 [Google]
Majid, K. and C. Russell (2025): Reducing front-line service providers’ economic vulnerability: online customer acquisition in the sex trade, Journal of Services Marketing, 39(4438), pp.710–722
Purpose: The authors focus on a little-studied facet of vulnerability amongst FLEs (front-line employees) by addressing whether rising costs of customer acquisition contribute to vulnerability and exploitation. This paper aims to identify ways to reduce FLEs’ economic vulnerability in a market with restrictions on the promotion of services, the sex trade, by comparing the rate of customer acquisition across different digital channels. Design/methodology/approach: The primary data set consists of a fetish studio’s customer acquisition data over a four-month period, which includes information about the channels prospects used to first contact the provider. Using a hazard model they compare the probability of acquiring a new customer across the various digital channels, which vary in how inclusive vs exclusive they are. Bayesian modeling is also used to validate the hazard model. Findings: Of the three primary channels that prospective customers can use to reach the seller, the most restrictive channel (online forum) yields the highest customer acquisition rate. More inclusive channels that place few restrictions on potential customers produce a lower rate of acquisition of actual customers, and thus are more costly to the seller. Practical implications: From a policy perspective, the findings show that restricting promotion can benefit sellers in a controversial marketplace as long as they carefully manage the customer acquisition channels. More restrictive channels allow FLEs in the sex-trade to lower the costs of acquiring new clients and these reduced costs in time and effort in turn reduce FLEs’ vulnerability. Originality/value: Some FLEs are vulnerable by virtue of their work in a specific market, a type of vulnerability not previously documented in prior research. Those who work in controversial markets often do so because of economic necessity. In those markets, greater costs for customer acquisition can increase vulnerability because they can lead to riskier behavior to acquire customers. Although channels that place restrictions on consumers can be exclusionary, they can benefit sellers by reducing customer acquisition costs.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-04-2024-0161 [Google]
Mele, C., G. Wedum, E. A. Gulbrandsen and P. Skalen (2025): Circular service innovation: a value co-creation practices approach, JOURNAL OF SERVICES MARKETING, (4439), pp.
PurposeThis paper aims to enhance the understanding of circular service innovation through a practice theory perspective. It addresses the following research question: How can circular service innovation be understood and conceptualised using a practice theory-based approach?Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a six-year longitudinal analysis of the service Refill’s development within a larger ecosystem involving multiple actors, including the focal firm, customers, distributors and designers.FindingsThis paper identifies the value co-creation practices (VCPs) underpinning both the circular Refill service and the linear service it replaces, detailing their transformation in the shift from linear to circular. This transition is driven by changes in the elements that organise practices – procedures, understandings, engagements and materials – and is captured in a theoretically grounded typology of circular VCPs: regenerative making, adaptive providing, looped exchanging and stewardly using.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed framework contributes to the literature by illustrating circular service innovation as a transformation of VCPs. It further highlights the role of organising elements in shaping these innovations.Practical implicationsThis paper provides managers with a blueprint for how circular service innovation involves the transformation of VCPs. Furthermore, the proposed framework highlights the need to redefine the organising elements of VCPs to achieve circularity, including engagements, understandings, procedures and materials.Originality/valueThis paper offers an original contribution by conceptualising circular service innovation through the lens of practice theory, articulated in a dedicated framework.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-12-2024-0656 [Google]
Miyazaki, A. D. and T. C. Haderlie (2025): Emotional AI as a facilitator of co-created service value in a health-care ecosystem: a collective framework, JOURNAL OF SERVICES MARKETING, (4440), pp.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the integration of Emotional Artificial Intelligence (EAI) – computing technologies capable of detecting, interpreting and responding to human emotions – into health-care service ecosystems to enhance well-being and address health inequities, aligning with the UN’s SDG 3 and SDG 10. This paper develops a multi-level collective framework to demonstrate how EAI can be implemented into health-care ecosystems and facilitate value co-creation. Design/methodology/approach Using the Theory of Change as an overarching structure, and through the lens of Service-Dominant Logic, the authors identify drivers to enable the integration of EAI at system, organization, provider and individual patient levels. This provides a background to a framework that incorporates a merger of the Health Belief Model and Technology Acceptance Model to explore EAI adoption at the patient level so that EAI then can facilitate co-created service value as patients progress through the Transtheoretical Model’s stages of behavioral change. Findings The analysis of the health-care ecosystem demonstrates the necessity for a collective framework rather than a singular one so that integration of EAI as a value creation tool can be achieved to enhance health-care delivery. Practical applications in telemedicine and mental health monitoring illustrate the framework’s relevance across diverse health-care contexts and the potential to address health-care inequities by increasing accessibility for underserved populations. Originality/value This paper contributes to the service marketing literature by presenting a multi-level, collective framework that aligns ecosystem-level service structures with patient-level adoption mechanisms using targeted behavioral models and value co-creation principles. The integration of Health Belief Model, Technology Acceptance Model and Transtheoretical Model under the umbrella of Theory of Change expands the potential for effective and efficient service value creation.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-01-2025-0041 [Google]
Mulcahy, R., J. Burgess, J. Parkinson, L. Schuster and A. Grace (2025): Service employees’ perceptions of organizational vulnerability from macro-level risks and how innovativeness mitigates their impact, Journal of Services Marketing, 39(4441), pp.627–644
Purpose: This paper aims to explore how service employees, who often integrate the organization they work for into their identity, can be affected by macro-level risks and the resulting financial vulnerability of their service organization. In addition, it investigates whether innovativeness, a characteristic of the service organization, can alleviate these adverse effects, particularly on firm financial performance and mental well-being. Design/methodology/approach: This research develops a conceptual model underpinned by protection motivation theory (PMT) with data used from an online survey of service employees (n = 365). The hypotheses and data are tested using MANCOVA and spotlight moderated-mediation analysis. Findings: The results demonstrate the empirical impact of macro-level risks (financial and health) on service employees’ mental well-being and perceptions of firm financial performance. Financial vulnerability emerged as a key mediator in these relationships. Moreover, the findings indicate that high levels of innovativeness within service organizations can help maintain higher levels of mental well-being and perceptions of financial performance but this is only when risks are perceived as low from macro-level events. Originality/value: This research broadens the discourse on vulnerability, extending it beyond consumer actors to illuminate the distinct challenges encountered by service employees. In addition, it advances theoretical frameworks by blending ideas from PMT and emphasizing the significance of incorporating deficit and strength-based perspectives in service research. This research argues that this offers a complete comprehension of vulnerability experiences, transcending debates about the exclusivity or superiority of these approaches to considering and understanding experiences of vulnerability.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-05-2024-0215 [Google]
Riedel, A., A. Beatson and S. M. Baker (2025): Beyond the individual: rethinking vulnerability across ecosystems, JOURNAL OF SERVICES MARKETING, 39(4442), pp.585–595
Purpose This Editorial proposes an extended conceptualization of vulnerability in services marketing by adopting an ecological systems perspective. It aims to demonstrate that vulnerability is systematically entangled across ecosystem layers rather than being experienced in isolation, hence creating interconnected patterns of impact extending beyond the primary vulnerable individual. Design/methodology/approach Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems theory is applied to services marketing to examine how vulnerability interacts across micro, meso-, exo-, macro- and chrono-system layers. This Editorial integrates existing vulnerability literature with ecological perspectives to highlight the bidirectional nature of vulnerability within ecosystems and proposes a novel conceptual framework of extended vulnerability. Findings The paper offers a three-tiered framework of extended vulnerability: primary (experienced directly by consumers or employees), secondary (affecting those supporting vulnerable individuals) and tertiary (impacting organizational structures and outcomes). This conceptualization highlights how vulnerability ripples through ecosystems, creating complex patterns of influence and impact. Research limitations/implicationsThis Editorial calls to action service researchers to advance knowledge of the extended impact of vulnerability within ecosystems. Research directions are proposed building on existing knowledge to stimulate empirical investigations into the ripple effects of vulnerability across ecosystem layers, explore bidirectional relationships between vulnerability tiers and examine interventions that address multilevel vulnerabilities simultaneously. Practical implicationsService providers should recognize that addressing vulnerability requires ecosystem-wide approaches beyond the primary vulnerable individual. This includes developing practices that identify potential secondary and tertiary vulnerability, redesigning service processes to mitigate ecosystem-wide vulnerability effects and implementing monitoring systems that track vulnerability across tiers. Social implications Acknowledging vulnerability’s extended consequences promotes more inclusive service design, benefiting not only vulnerable individuals but also their broader networks. This approach contributes to building more resilient ecosystems that enhance collective well-being and reduce systemic barriers. Originality/value This Editorial extends vulnerability research beyond individually centric to an ecosystem-focused conceptualization. By introducing a three-tiered vulnerability framework and applying ecological systems theory to services marketing, this conceptualization provides a novel framework for deepening understanding of vulnerability’s complex, interrelated manifestations across ecosystems.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-04-2025-0285 [Google]
Saragih, H. S. (2025): Exploring the principle and competencies for phygital service inclusion, Journal of Services Marketing, 39(4443), pp.673–694
Purpose: This study proposes the concept of phygital service inclusion, exploring its core principle and identifying the key competencies required for its implementation, particularly for individuals experiencing vulnerabilities. Design/methodology/approach: This paper adopts the term “individuals experiencing vulnerabilities” to highlight the situational and dynamic nature of vulnerability, thereby avoiding the stigmatizing effect of labeling individuals as “vulnerable” and instead promoting a perspective that affirms dignity and resilience. In line with this framing, the study employs an abductive qualitative approach, engaging with Deaf communities in an emerging country as a salient case of individuals experiencing vulnerabilities. To explore cultural and social identity, a netnographic analysis was conducted on user-generated content from YouTube, analyzing 22 videos with a combined total of approximately 7.8 million views and 12,000 comments. In addition, semistructured interviews were conducted with Deaf individuals, complemented by passive observation at a community center that facilitates phygital interactions, providing deeper insights into their lived experiences. Findings: This study conceptualizes phygital service inclusion as the intentional integration of physical and digital service elements to create experiences that are inclusive, accessible and equitable, particularly for individuals experiencing vulnerabilities. Central to this concept is the principle of “Physically Informed – Digitally Enhanced,” highlighting the importance of anchoring digital innovations in the physical realities of individuals experiencing vulnerabilities. Furthermore, this study identifies four key competencies for service professionals – ambicultural, interpersonal, advocacy and digital – that are essential for designing and implementing inclusive phygital service systems. Research limitations/implications: The study centers on a particular group of individuals experiencing vulnerabilities, which, while offering valuable insights, represents only one dimension of a broader spectrum of such individuals. The methodological scope is further shaped by the reliance on YouTube as the sole source of secondary data and by the limited geographic reach of interviews, which were conducted in just two regions of the country. Originality/value: This study advances the theoretical discourse on inclusive service systems by bridging physical and digital service elements. It offers actionable frameworks and insights for designing culturally sensitive and contextually adaptive phygital service ecosystems, with a particular focus on empowering individuals experiencing vulnerabilities.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-04-2024-0159 [Google]
Van Hummel, A. and R. Russell-Bennett (2025): Understanding consumer trust and distrust in a public service ecosystem, JOURNAL OF SERVICES MARKETING, (4444), pp.
Purpose Despite consumer trust being a key construct within the services marketing domain, there is a lack of consensus on the conceptualisation – specifically the relationship with distrust, and variations across different actors in the services ecosystem. The purpose of this study is to explore the conceptualisations of trust and distrust across different levels of a public service ecosystem in a transformative context of energy services. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review of 70 academic papers that explore trust and distrust in the energy service sector was undertaken. Findings The results revealed two potential models of the relationship between trust and distrust in a public service ecosystem. Furthermore, the results identified that trust and distrust appear to vary for different actors in the energy service ecosystem and have different antecedent factors. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to directly compare and explore the differences between trust and distrust in a public service context and identified little consensus in the conceptualisation of trust and distrust. Furthermore, this study is the first to adopt an ecosystem perspective for trust or distrust with trust resulting from interactions with individuals at all levels of the ecosystem whereas distrust was derived from structures and processes at the meso and macro-level.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-01-2025-0059 [Google]
Albannai, N. A. A. and M. M. Raziq (2025): Navigating ethical, human-centric leadership in AI-driven organizations: a thematic literature review, SERVICE INDUSTRIES JOURNAL, (4445), pp.
The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in leadership roles has transformed the capabilities, practices, and ethical considerations essential for effective digital leadership. This research paper examines the multifaceted challenges of leading in AI-enabled environments, focusing on ethical dilemmas, human-AI collaboration, skill development, organizational dynamics, and strategic alignment. It addresses a critical gap by exploring how ethical, human-centered leadership must evolve to navigate the complex realities of AI integration within organizations. Using a thematic literature review, we synthesized insights from 116 peer-reviewed studies published between 2022 and 2025. The findings reveal that AI adoption presents a balancing act for leaders requiring them to manage the tension between technological innovation and human-centered practices. Key concerns include algorithmic bias, data privacy, trust in AI systems, and cultural transformation. This paper offers both theoretical and practical contributions, with implications for business leaders, policymakers, and academics. The insights aim to enhance leadership development, inform organizational strategy, and shape policy frameworks that support the responsible and sustainable adoption of AI. A conceptual framework is proposed to link leadership challenges, responses, and outcomes, offering a structured approach to managing the complexities of AI integration.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2025.2534360 [Google]
Bavik, A. and C.-F. Kuo (2025): Systematic review of meta-analytic research in tourism and meta-analytic guidelines for social science, SERVICE INDUSTRIES JOURNAL, (4446), pp.
This study aims to develop a tailored meta-analytic framework for social sciences and systematically review existing meta-analyses in tourism and hospitality. Traditional methods, often borrowed from medical and psychological research, overlook the contextual complexity of social science data. To address this, we propose a streamlined four-step framework that incorporates scale- and item-level analyses to enhance the reliability and interpretability of findings in this field. Based on a review of 21 meta-analyses, we identify robust patterns and contested relationships. Loyalty emerges as the most studied and empirically supported construct in destination research, yet its links to specific customer behaviors remain underexplored. Contrary to expectations, transformational leadership shows no significant effect on organizational outcomes. Similarly, neither deep nor surface acting significantly influences discretionary behaviors, such as organizational citizenship, challenging assumptions about the impact of emotional labor in service settings. These findings reveal critical knowledge gaps and call for deeper investigation into the contextual factors shaping these relationships. The study not only advances methodological rigor but also provides a foundation for future theoretical development and targeted empirical research in the fields of tourism and hospitality.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2025.2539322 [Google]
Do, T. K. (2025): Generative AI in service research: promise or peril?, SERVICE INDUSTRIES JOURNAL, (4447), pp.
Generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI), exemplified by ChatGPT, has recently garnered significant attention among researchers. The service community, in particular, has shown a growing interest in the opportunities and challenges that Gen AI presents for advancing service scholarship, including the unguided use of Gen AI in service research. This paper takes a pragmatic perspective on this game changer and discusses how Gen AI can be leveraged by service scholars across all steps of a typical research process, including idea generation, theoretical development, (experimental) stimuli design, synthetic data creation, (un)structured data analysis, and language editing tool. The paper further introduces the READY framework (Reproducibility, Ethics, Accuracy, Dependency, Yin-Yang), which provides a structured approach for the responsible and effective use of Gen AI in conducting service research. This paper thus offers timely guidance to service scholars on maximizing the benefits and values of Gen AI in their academic research endeavors.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2025.2525893 [Google]
Foroughi, B., T. Q. Huy, M. Iranmanesh, M. Ghobakhloo, A. Rejeb and D. Nikbin (2025): Why users continue E-commerce chatbots? Insights from PLS-fsQCA-NCA approach, Service Industries Journal, 45(4448), pp.935–965
The study investigates the drivers of intention to continue using chatbots. Data were collected from 476 users and analyzed using the partial least squares (PLS), fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), and necessary condition analysis (NCA) approaches. Based on PLS results, all technology continuance theory (TCT) relationships were verified except for the influence of confirmation and perceived ease of use on perceived usefulness. Information, service, and system quality influence perceptions. Social avoidance and distress positively moderate the impact of attitude on continuance intention. fsQCA revealed five configurations of variables resulting in high continuance intention, and NCA identified perceived ease of use and system quality as necessary conditions. The study extended the literature by identifying the predictors of continuance intention to use chatbots, enriching TCT, demonstrating the moderating influence of social avoidance and distress, and using the PLS-fsQCA-NCA approach. The findings offer practical implications for businesses, enabling them to retain chatbot users.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2024.2371910 [Google]
Gurel, E. (2025): AI-driven experiences in cultural and creative industries: a review of literature and development of a multifaceted framework, SERVICE INDUSTRIES JOURNAL, (4449), pp.
Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) are at the forefront of Industry 5.0, where cultural experiences are increasingly shaped by emerging technologies, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI). This review investigates how AI-driven experiences are being integrated into CCIs. Using a systematic literature review, it investigates current applications, highlights research gaps, and reflects on the possible implications of AI for cultural experience. The review combines quantitative bibliometric analysis with qualitative content analysis and follows PRISMA guidelines to ensure methodological rigor. In addition to mapping the existing body of research, the study proposes a multifaceted framework to support the design of AI-driven experiences in CCIs. Rather than offering definitive answers, it provides an initial reference point for future research and practice. It contributes to early discussions around the role of AI-driven experiences in arts and culture and raises questions about how these developments may evolve.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2025.2542822 [Google]
Husnain, M., Q. Zhang, M. W. Akhtar, M. Usman, A. Tariq, C. Huo and M. S. Akhtar (2025): Cultivating green creativity through training and development in hospitality organizations, Service Industries Journal, 45(4450), pp.966–991
Green training and development (T&D) has emerged as an important topic within HRM, with research focusing on its impact on various employee outcomes. However, only a few studies have focused on understanding its impacts on green organizational outcomes, such as green creativity. We utilize social information processing theory to theorize whether, when, and how green T&D impacts green creativity. This study collected lagged and multisource field data (246 supervisor-employee dyads) from various hospitality organizations. Our findings based on time-lagged data and analyzed using Smart PLS reveal that green T&D enhances individual green values, which, in turn, enhance green creativity. We found that responsible leadership amplifies the positive relationship between green T&D and individual green values. We also found support for the moderating effect of responsible leadership on the indirect model via individual green values. The study underscores the importance of integrating green training and development programs in hospitality organizations to enhance individual green values and creativity. Practical implications include promoting responsible leadership, aligning organizational values with environmental goals, and fostering a culture that supports green initiatives and creativity.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2024.2375359 [Google]
Ivanov, S. (2025): Responsible use of AI in social science research, SERVICE INDUSTRIES JOURNAL, (4451), pp.
The paper elaborates on the responsible use of AI in social science research. It outlines the principles of responsible AI use in research, namely: transparency, traceability/auditability, explainability, fairness, privacy and data protection, respect and awareness of the broader AI impacts, human oversight and quality control, and accountability. It delves into the responsible AI use in each step of the research process from ideation to manuscript evaluation. The paper formulates specific recommendations for authors, PhD students, early career researchers and PhD programmes, publishers, funders, and policymakers related to responsible AI use in research. Finally, the paper sketches the future prospects of AI use in research and future research directions.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2025.2537115 [Google]
Ladeira, W. J., T. Rasul, F. d. O. Santini, J. L. Rice and M. Shaheen (2025): Understanding heterogeneity in service research: a meta-analytic perspective, SERVICE INDUSTRIES JOURNAL, (4452), pp.
This article examines the evolution and complexity of service research, emphasizing the role of meta-analyses in synthesizing findings across diverse studies. It evaluates how meta-analytic methods are used to address heterogeneity in primary studies and to understand the influence of moderators. Using a systematic literature review, the study follows three phases: (1) assembling a dataset of 202 meta-analyses from 1985 to 2024; (2) applying rigorous filtering to ensure quality and relevance; and (3) analyzing the data through coding and keyword-based clustering. Heterogeneity in service research stems from varied contexts and methodological approaches, yet its impact on theoretical and practical insights remains underexplored. This study addresses that gap by examining how heterogeneity should be treated and what it implies for knowledge accumulation. The findings underscore the importance of methodological rigor to improve the generalizability of meta-analytical results. Additionally, understanding the role of moderators is shown to enhance research design and guide future work toward more cohesive, evidence-based practices in service research.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2025.2523269 [Google]
Lin, Q. and L. He (2025): Linking artificial intelligence (AI) with employees’ work behaviors, SERVICE INDUSTRIES JOURNAL, (4453), pp.
Although artificial intelligence (AI) is widely used in service management, its effect on employees remains unclear. This study focuses on employees’ intentional use of AI (e.g. employing automated workflow systems) rather than on unintentional experiences, such as platform recommendations. Anchored in the conservation of resources theory and social comparison theory, a dual-path framework is proposed to examine how AI usage affects employees’ work behaviors through job crafting and psychological distress, with competitive psychological climate (CPC) as a moderator. A three-wave questionnaire survey yielded 320 complete responses from employees at 20 AI-adopting service companies. The results showed that: (1) AI usage promoted job crafting, enhancing service innovative behavior and reducing service sabotage behavior; (2) AI usage triggered psychological distress, increasing service sabotage behavior and decreasing service innovative behavior; and (3) CPC moderated these effects. This study offers insights into managing AI in service contexts and outlines future research directions.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2025.2538082 [Google]
Tariq, M. Z., R. Wang and J. Song (2025): Transforming retail with humanoid service robots: exploring the impact of customer mindsets on value co-creation via perceived robot anthropomorphism and the moderating roles of robotic service proactivity and customer emotional intelligence, SERVICE INDUSTRIES JOURNAL, (4454), pp.
As humanoid service robots become more prevalent in retail, understanding customer psychology is vital for fostering value co-creation. Grounded in implicit mindset theory and service-dominant logic, this study contributes by framing customer mindsets as operant resources that influence perceptions and engagement in AI-enabled robotic service ecosystems. Survey data from 420 Chinese retail customers show that a growth mindset enhances both perceived anthropomorphism and value co-creation, while a fixed mindset inhibits them. Further, perceived robot anthropomorphism partially mediates these effects, offering empirical support for the perceptual mechanisms linking customer mindsets and co-creation. However, robotic proactivity and customer emotional intelligence do not significantly moderate the mindset and co-creation relationship, suggesting that individual psychological traits may outweigh contextual factors. These findings enhance the understanding of cognitive drivers influencing engagement with humanoid service robots in retail, extending implicit mindset and service-dominant logic theories. Practical insights support anthropomorphic design and mindset-based interaction strategies for effective AI-driven retail experiences.(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)420(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2025.2562513 [Google]
Zhao, H., B. Yuan, M. Wen and T. Zhang (2025): Algorithmic ethics in AI-enabled workplace systems for food delivery employees, SERVICE INDUSTRIES JOURNAL, (4455), pp.
Despite growing attention to AI ethics, existing research overlooks employee-centric ethical challenges in algorithm-driven workplaces. Addressing this gap, our study employs sociotechnical systems theory and a qualitative thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with food delivery workers in China to explore how AI algorithmic ethics – privacy invasion, discrimination, and value alignment – shape work outcomes. Findings reveal that (1) privacy concerns reduce algorithm trust, job satisfaction, and platform engagement; (2) opaque algorithms and biased value preferences heighten perceptions of discrimination, impairing performance; and (3) value misalignments perception in delivery time and payment exacerbate job dissatisfaction and power imbalances, despite shared interest and service value orientation. By linking AI ethics to employee well-being and organizational dynamics, this study advances literature on workplace AI by centering employees’ lived experiences, offering empirical insights into sociotechnical tensions, and proposing guidance for platform design or regulatory policy suggestions to mitigate ethical risks in algorithmic management systems.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2025.2538071 [Google]
Ge, B., Y. Y. Zhu, C. Cui and M. Liu (2025): Clothing Consumers’ Aesthetic Preferences and Sustainable Marketing Model System Based on Kansei Engineering, SERVICE SCIENCE, 17(4456), pp.
China’s online retail sales growth rate of men’s plain color shirts had declined because they could not meet customers’ aesthetic value needs. This study aims to determine consumers’ aesthetic value preferences and corresponding design elements. Based on Kansei Engineering, a semantic differential scale questionnaire was conducted with seven crucial Kansei words and styling specimens. Then, researchers validated these Kansei words using principal component analysis. More significantly, this study used partial least squares to construct a relationship between crucial Kansei words and styling design elements. Furthermore, researchers obtained the matching colors corresponding to Kansei words in the color image scale. Thus, Kansei words, styling design elements, and corresponding colors made up the recommendation guidelines. Lastly, questionnaires and interviews were used to verify the effectiveness of these guidelines. These recommendation guidelines were the most important results of this study. Besides, this study also found that the recent popular oversized fit appeared in distinctive and casual styles, but the audience is relatively small. Purchasers preferred a one-button square cuff, and the separate left-side pocket is more popular than both-side pockets. Purchasers liked the wide-spread collar compared with the classical pointed collar because it appeared most frequently in recommendation guidelines. Classic fit was still the mainstream, but its popularity would decline. In addition, modern fit and slim fit would become increasingly popular.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/serv.2024.0179 [Google]
