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The global economy has experienced a paradigm shift from technology-based to
knowledge-based. Amid this transition, the service sector has had an annual growth rate of
30% in many developing markets. The remarkable growth of the service economy is driven
not only by traditional service businesses but also by innovative and service-oriented models
and value propositions. Such development highlights the needs of quality and innovative
services for companies to succeed and prosper in the market. Increasing importance of being
service-oriented has also posited a wide range of research agenda in different disciplines.
Given the recent trend, the research topics regarding how to design products, services,
information systems and mobile services to increase experience value are becoming more
and more important. In order to further stimulate the research activities, this special issue
features seven articles covering various issues on service science and innovation as an
attempt to provide a collaboration platform among the communities for further research
endeavor. A brief summary on these seven articles is stated as below:
(1) Co-Production in Service-Dominant Logic: Antecedents and Consequences
Prior studies showed that the extent to which customers participate in co-production
depends on the resources that they currently have. However, in the context of business-to-
business operations, the compatibility and history of business relations, affective
commitment, and expertise are considered as the antecedents of co-production. Rooted on
asset specificity, quality of customer interaction, decision-making uncertainty, relational
benefits and share of wallet, this study then develops an integrated model to investigate the
antecedents and consequences of co-production. By contrast, this study focuses on the
circumstances under which customers would be motivated to engage in co-production.
Empirical data from customers in the investment services industry were collected and
analyzed. The results indicate that asset specificity, quality of customer interaction, and
decision-making uncertainty positively affect co-production, while co-production affects
special treatment as well as social and confidence benefits, such as increased share of wallet.
Introduction to Special Issue
Service Science: Innovation, Design, Management, Sustainability
and Competitive Advantage
Guest Editor
Houn-Gee Chen
, Professor, Department of Business Administration, National Taiwan University