Ingo O. Karpen

Linking Service-Dominant Logic and Strategic Business Practice A Conceptual Model of a Service-Dominant Orientation

Service-dominant (S-D) logic can function as a strategic business logic that portrays creating superior value in conjunction with—rather than for—customers as a source of competitive advantage for organizations. From this perspective, strategy is about making choices in terms of how to best facilitate and enhance value cocreation for mutual and long-term betterment. While the literature has pointed out the managerial merits of cocreating value, less is known about the organizational capabilities necessary to execute S-D logic in practice. This article devises an S-D orientation, specified as a portfolio of six strategic capabilities, namely individuated, relational, ethical, empowered, developmental, and concerted interaction capability. In combination, these six strategic capabilities constitute a cocreation capability. The authors develop the conceptual model of S-D orientation through (a) an in-depth literature review and (b) input from 21 expert academics. Conceptualizing S-D orientation provides a foundation for bridging S-D logic and strategy research with a more general framework, and for guiding much-needed empirical research that will inform managers. From a managerial point of view, S-D orientation provides a holistic approach to align the organization with its value network partners. The article also sets out an agenda for future research.

Consumer ethnocentrism and willingness to buy: Analyzing the role of three demographic consumer characteristics

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to clarify how demographic consumer characteristics influence and interact with consumer ethnocentrism on willingness to buy. The authors analyze the direct effects of selected characteristics on the tendency for consumer ethnocentrism. Further, the moderating effects of these consumer characteristics are investigated.Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered from 361 consumers in Australia. Data analysis was conducted using regression analysis with interactions and post hoc slope analysis.Findings – The empirical findings show that consumer tendencies for ethnocentrism are directly influenced by characteristics of the customer. The authors also find that the strength of the relationship between consumer ethnocentrism and willingness to buy is influenced by customer characteristics. Specifically, age and gender are found to be important moderators of the consumer ethnocentrism‐willingness to buy relationship.Research limitations/implications – The results of t...

Epilogue to the Special Issue and reflections on the future of engagement research

We are confident this Special Issue will generate scholarly discussion and debate, as well as act as a catalyst in advancing marketing-based engagement research. We thank each of the contributing authors, and in this commentary, synthesise our key reflections regarding the current state of engagement research, and identify key areas for further research in this area, which emanate from this Special Issue.

The role of embeddedness for resource integration Complementing S-D logic research through a social capital perspective

Marketing research highlights the importance of actors’ relationships as mechanisms for integrating resources. With its roots in sociology, the concept of embeddedness has gained prominence in the literature on organizations, providing in-depth insight into how relational structures regulate resource integration processes and outcomes. However, the concept of an actor’s embeddedness is rarely discussed in association with service-dominant (S-D) logic. This limits the extant understanding of factors that influence resource exchange and value cocreation among individual actors in service ecosystems. Against this background, this article links S-D logic with social capital theory to establish and conceptualize embeddedness as a key concept. More specifically, this research identifies and delineates structural, relational, and cultural properties of embeddedness and offers a systematic and complementary theoretical understanding to better explain relational constellations based on actors’ resource integration potential. In so doing, this research significantly advances marketing science and particularly the S-D logic school of thought by explicitly clarifying the role of embeddedness and its implications for resource integration. A set of research propositions is presented laying the foundation for future research.

A multilevel consideration of service design conditions: towards a portfolio of organisational capabilities, interactive practices and individual abilities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to advance the current understanding of organisational conditions that facilitate service design. Specifically, the focus is on organisational capabilities, interactive practices and individual abilities as units of analysis across service system levels. Grounded in design principles, the paper conceptualises and delineates illustrative service design conditions and introduces a respective service design capability-practice-ability (CPA) portfolio. In doing so, an emerging microfoundations perspective in the context of service design is advanced. Design/methodology/approach Conceptual paper. Findings This paper identifies and delineates a CPA that contributes to service design and ultimately customer experiences. The service design CPA consists of six illustrative constellations of service design capabilities, practices and abilities, which operate on different organisational levels. The service design CPA builds the foundation for in-depth research implications and future research opportunities. Practical implications The CPA framework suggests that if an organisation seeks to optimise service design and subsequent customer experiences, then individual- and organisational-level (cap)abilities and interactive practices should be optimised and synchronised across specific CPA constellations. Originality/value This paper provides the first microfoundations perspective for service design. It advances marketing theory through multilevel theorising around service design capabilities, practices and abilities and overcomes extant limitations of insular theorising in this context.

The Evolution and Prospects of Service-Dominant Logic: An Investigation of Past, Present, and Future Research

Service-dominant logic (SDL) emerged over a decade ago as a potential framework and paradigmatic lens for rethinking the role of service in exchange and value creation. The growth of SDL reflects a major shift in service research. However, SDL’s relationship to prior service literature and its potential for future development in this field have not been empirically examined. We explore the foundational research areas and evolution of SDL research through a systematic investigation, which combines cocitation analysis with a novel text mining tool, Leximancer. Specifically, we investigate the research streams connected with SDL and compare core themes across two time periods (2004 to 2008 vs. 2009 to 2015). The findings reveal SDL’s interdisciplinary theoretical heritage and significant changes in the structure of focal themes and concepts over time. Our analyses identify current limitations and subsequent research areas and questions to further develop strategic approaches for SDL and advance a service ecosystems view. These include open innovation, dynamic capabilities, organizational microfoundations, and service systems, as well as social capital and consumer culture theories. Integration of midrange theories and strategic frameworks in these particular areas can help to guide managers in improving service innovation and enhancing value creation in service ecosystems.

Brand meaning cocreation: toward a conceptualization and research implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to consolidate and advance the understanding of brand meaning and the evolving process by which it is determined by introducing and explicating the concept of brand meaning cocreation (BMCC). Design/methodology/approach In-depth review and integration of literature from branding, cocreation, service systems, and practice theory. To support deep theorizing, the authors also examine the role of institutional logics in the BMCC process in framing interactions and brand meaning outcomes. Findings Prior research is limited in that it neither maps the process of cocreation within which meanings emerge nor provides theoretical conceptualizations of brand meaning or the process of BMCC. While the literature acknowledges that brand meaning is influenced by multiple interactions, their nature and how they contribute to BMCC have been overlooked. Research limitations/implications This paper reveals a significant gap in knowledge of how brand meaning is cocreated, despite the essential role of brand meaning for firm success and increasing academic interest in the notion of cocreation. Ultimately, this paper builds a conceptual foundation for empirical research in this regard. Originality/value This paper proposes that brand meaning is cocreated through the interconnection of different social and service systems, across system levels, time, and geographic space. Marketing theory is advanced by outlining a set of research propositions pertaining to the BMCC process. The authors consider how discrete actor-based brand meanings contribute to an overall brand gestalt and how such a gestalt potentially evolves along a continuum. Additionally, the authors provide a managerially and theoretically relevant research agenda to guide much needed empirical research into BMCC.

Customer-to-customer interactions and word of mouth: conceptual extensions and empirical investigations

Although the importance of customer orientation has been well addressed in strategic marketing, these ideas generally focus on managing business-to-customer interactions. Strategic importance of understanding customer-to-customer interactions (CCIs) has received very little attention. Word of mouth (WOM) research has recently been broadened in the context of CCI. Research that addresses during-the-experience word of mouth (WOMde) in the actual service setting is scant. Thus, we empirically distinguish WOMde and post-consumption experience (WOMpe) and investigate their interconnected relationships within a nomological network. We use a mixed-methods approach to generate and code a collection of WOMde events and a survey to capture further variables of interest including WOMpe. Our exploratory study demonstrates that WOMde has a positive impact both on customers’ emotional reaction in the service context and on brand perceptions. Subsequently, the magnified brand perceptions act as a significant driver of customer trust and WOMpe. We also distinguish between brand-related and brand-unrelated WOMde and offer insight into the effect of both types of conversation on customer perceptions and attitudes.

Usage center – value cocreation in multi-actor usage processes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to advance extant theorizing around resource integration by conceptualizing and delineating the notion of a usage center. A usage center consists of a combination of interdependent actors that draw on resources across their individual usage processes to create value. Design/methodology/approach This paper provides a conceptual inquiry into the usage center. Findings This paper delineates the notion of a usage center by way of focal and peripheral resource integrators, as well as focal and peripheral resources that form part of interdependent resource usage processes. The conceptual analysis reveals the need for resources to be accessible and shareable to focal and peripheral actors, with rivalry and emergence central factors influencing the actor’s usage processes. Originality/value Responding to recent calls for research developing insights into multi-actor value cocreation, this paper is the first to comprehensively and coherently conceptualize the notion of a usage center. In doing so, the authors build an important foundation for future theorizing related to the potential emergence of usage centers as well as the cocreation of individual and collective value.

Value co-creation behaviour-role of embeddedness and outcome considerations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify antecedents and consequences of customers’ value co-creation behaviour (VCB). VCB as a means to facilitate value realisation processes is gaining importance in service research and practice. Encouraging such enactments can be challenging, but can also offer competitive advantages. Design/methodology/approach We empirically investigate a conceptual model by converging three contemporary concepts of co-creation research – embeddedness, VCB and value-in-context – and examining the interdependencies between them. Data were collected in an online forum of a leading international weight-management firm. Findings Results suggest that customers’ embeddedness is a key antecedent of customers’ VCB in a service system. The three embeddedness dimensions – structural, relational and cultural – have a differential impact on customers’ VCB. Furthermore, findings illustrate that customers’ VCB has a significant impact on their object-oriented, self-oriented and brand-oriented social value-in-context outcomes. Research limitations/implications This study contributes by empirically investigating and validating antecedents and consequences of VCB in a service system. In doing so, the study highlights the significance of the nature of customer’s social constellations to develop contexts where value outcomes are actualised. Understanding the factors that shape VCB offers insights for firms to recognise how and where value propositions can be deployed that drives on-going co-creation processes. Originality/value This study is the first empirical research to offer insights into important pre-conditions and subsequent outcomes concurrently to illustrate how customers’ VCB can be managed and nurtured for sustainable value co-creation processes within service systems. This research further advances mid-range theorizing and microfoundational perspectives in marketing.