International Journal of Operations & Production Management
Special Issue Call for Papers, due May 31, 2015
Special Issue Purpose
Developments in platform technologies have quickly made many services ubiquitous and enabled new services available to both consumers and businesses. It is important to acknowledge that platforms are linked to the broader research area of service architecture, and are based on modularization approaches. In other words, a platform can be considered as an enabling structure to deliver services that are modular and synergistic to the extent that they may share parts of their delivery system.
Operations Management has contributed significantly to the research of product and supply chain modularity in the past. Theory of product modularity draws on the physical aspects of modularity (e.g. Ulrich 1995). As services typically lack a physical core product, the applicability of pre-existing modularity theory has limitations in the service context. Outside the Information Systems discipline only sporadic research papers on service modularity, architecture and platforms have appeared so far (Miozzo & Grimshaw 2005; Meyer et al. 2007; Pekkarinen & Ulkuniemi 2008; Voss & Hsuan 2009; Bask et al. 2010; de Blok et al. 2010; Tuunanen & Cassab 2011).
The area of service modularity, architecture and platforms offers numerous relevant and fresh research topics and needs increasing attention from Operations Management scholars. This special issue aims to build a collection of high‐quality research articles that advance the research problems, concepts, theory and knowhow about service-related modularity based on fresh empirical and/or conceptual research.
Scope of the special issue
This special issue welcomes manuscripts with research themes that combine a research problem in the area of modularization, modular architecture and/or platforms with a clear focus on services. Submissions should be relevant for the Operations Management community and address modularity, modularization, platforms or other structural aspects of business models and offerings in a service context.
We welcome manuscripts that present rigorous qualitative or quantitative empirical studies, including case based research and design science approaches. We also encourage submitting manuscripts with conceptual work that significantly develops the foundations and theory of modularity in services.
Particularly suitable topics are
- Theoretical underpinnings of service modularity and service platforms
- Comparative studies on different types of service modularity
- Studies on platform-based service business models, including mass-customization in services
- Service experience and customer perspectives on modularity; implications of modularity and platforms for the service co-production process
- Architectural innovation in services; innovating, designing and developing modular services
- Modularization of services in multi-provider contexts
- Organizational aspects of implementing modularity in service operations
- Design and management of interfaces in a modular service system or offering
- Determinants of performance in the context of modular services; empirical evidence on benefits and challenges
- Modularity and platform-based approaches in the integrated solutions business context and in companies engaged in servitization
- Modularity in specific service industries or in particular types of firms
- Hybrid offerings that combine service and tangible product modules
Are you working on a research topic that focuses on modularity, architecture and/or platforms in the service context? Consider submitting your work in to this forthcoming special issue!
All submitted manuscripts go through a double blind review following the IJOPM policies. We welcome a broad range of research approaches, topics and methods including both empirical and conceptual research.
More information is available from the journal homepage linked below and by email from guest editors. Feel free to contact us by email if you are considering to sending a study to this special issue, so we can keep you informed throughout the process.
Special Issue Guest Editors:
Saara Brax, Aalto University, School of Science
Anu Bask, Aalto University, School of Business
Juliana Hsuan, Copenhagen Business School; and
Chris Voss, University of Warwick
Deadlines
- Deadline for paper submission: May 31, 2015
- Reviewer first reports: October 15, 2015
- Revised paper submissions: January 15, 2016
- Reviewer second reports: April 15, 2016
- Final manuscript submissions to publisher: July 31, 2016
http://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/products/journals/call_for_papers.htm?id=5708
