Twenty-seven years of service research: a literature review and research agenda
Abstract
Purpose The growing service sector has experienced several revolutions that have transformed the way services are created and delivered. In parallel, services increasingly pique the interest of scholars, resulting in an expanding body of knowledge. Accordingly, it is time to reflect on extant service research, assess its boundaries, and think about its future. This paper aims to consider three research questions: How has service research evolved over the past 27 years? Which articles have most influenced the evolution of service research in the past 27 years? What are the most promising research themes for the future? Design/methodology/approach To answer these questions, the authors analyze the contents of 3,177 service research articles published in ten major academic journals between 1993 and August 2019. Multiple correspondence analysis reveals the evolution of key service research themes and their underlying relationships. Findings The research themes are organized in a growth–share matrix with four quadrants (stars, question marks, cash cows and pets) and also combine into four research clusters (human resource management, organizational behavior and strategy, technology, and operations and customer behavior and marketing). Together with a specified list of influential articles that have shaped the evolution of service research, these insights suggest an agenda for research. Originality/value Acknowledging the vast growth of service research, this study presents an up-t…
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References 121 · Cited by 101
- Authors
- Furrer, O., Yu Kerguignas, J., Delcourt, C., & Gremler, D. D.
- Affiliations
- University of Fribourg (CH)
- University of Liège (BE)
- Bowling Green State University (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Services Marketing
- Publisher
- Emerald
- Published
- 2020-04-13
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 299-316
- ISSN
- 0887-6045 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3022520829
- Cited by
- 101
- References
- 121
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 11
- FWCI
- 17.54
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Services Marketing (publishedVersion)
- reroDoc Digital Library (submittedVersion)
- ORBi (University of Liège) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Service and Product Innovation
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Customer Service Quality and Loyalty
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Information Systems and Management › Business and Management Studies
- Keywords
- service research, research topics, influential papers, research agenda, BCG matrix, research clusters, service sector, human resource management, operations, consumer behavior
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