Co-creating Value and Enhancing the Resonance and Impact of Academic Knowledge towards an Inclusive and Sustainable Service Ecosystem

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Introduction

Over the past few decades, researchers in the services domain have worked to integrate knowledge in the service industry (Salunke et al., 2019). While there has been some resistance to adopting new methods for capturing knowledge, the shift to digital transformation, recent changes in demand needs and expectations, sustainability and CSR requirements, have added a new layer of complexity to leveraging academic knowledge to achieve practical added-value for service ecosystems. Some scholars pointed out an overlap between academia and practitioners stemming particularly from differences in key issues prioritisation, the way they are expressed, and the language used (Field et al., 2021; Koskela-Huotari et al., 2024). This misalignment spotlights a need for: 

1. Further collaborations involving academia and service ecosystem stakeholders.
2. The adoption of integrative approach in addressing service-related issues.
3. The design of suitable courses of action.
4. Impactful research outcomes. 

To bridge the gap, Field et al. (2021) emphasized the importance of engaged scholarship prioritising impact-driven research and practical contributions to better understand and resolve critical societal concerns. They also called scholars to use multidisciplinary approaches and innovative thinking to address current and emerging service challenges and to initiate collaborations with policymakers to build a sustainable and just ecosystem. Meanwhile, service research still displays a lack of theoretical understanding of sustainability and the mechanisms that lead to unsustainable outcomes (Koskela-Huotari et al., 2024). 

This special issue (SI) showcases how service sciences and practice can gain relevance and alignment with the needs and expectations of service ecosystem stakeholders in a rapidly changing environment and in the face of global disruptions, using both theoretical and real-life perspectives. It will address the challenges faced by the services ecosystem stakeholders in different socio-economic, technological, and cultural contexts, their impact, and the extent to which the services science knowledge could help in mitigating them and aligns with several SDGs, particularly SDG3 that puts a significant emphasis on the well-being of the human species. The importance of working towards societal well-being is critical for Hamedi et al. (2024), who advocate for a paradigm shift to incorporate changes that promote collective well-being, rather than focusing solely on individual change. It is consistent with SDG9 “industry innovation and infrastructure” setting up the prerequisites for economic ecosystems, including services, to foster innovation and infrastructure. This may prompt and drive scholarly research to explore how emerging markets, alongside developed nations, can collaborate to contribute to the innovation and development of new, responsible ways of delivering innovative services (Russell-Benette et al., 2019). 

The SI aligns with SDG10 stressing the importance of providing equal opportunities for all humans in the global community. Racti et al. (2024) highlight the importance of focusing on quality of education, gender equality, and reduced inequality as key areas for service domain research. Calls for services to be more inclusive are also voiced in the academic and practitioners’ spheres (Mende et al., 2024). In addition, the SI contributes to the debate pertaining to SDG17, recognizing the power of collaboration as an enabler for human experience and skills (Fiske et al., 2020)

List of Topic Areas

The special issue will cover a wide range of topics tackling the resonance and impact of Academic Knowledge in services ecosystems. They may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Bring the academic research world close to practitioners and suggest avenues to achieve the alignment between academia and practitioners;
• Address the challenges faced by the services ecosystem stakeholders in different socio-economic, technological, and cultural contexts, their impact, and the extent to which the bulk of knowledge developed in services science could help in mitigating them;
• Foster the use of more interdisciplinary perspectives and new methodologies to address the complexities of the service ecosystem in an increasingly complex and changing context;
• Address recent calls for a research stream driven by the relevance of its implications and practical impact for ecosystem stakeholders, society at large, and compliance with the SDGs;
• Address forthcoming issues by discussing the impact of ever-changing consumer expectations, ethical concerns, sustainability requirements, and cross-cultural influences on service design, delivery, and quality assessment;
• Providing courses of action to practitioners and a research agenda to researchers based on both academia and the services ecosystem stakeholders' perspectives.

Guest Editors 

Hamida Skandrani, University of Manouba, Tunisia; hamida.skandrani@iscae.uma.tn

Shahpar Abdollahi, University of the Arts London, United Kingdom, s.abdollahi@arts.ac.uk

Fatma Choura, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunisia, fatma.choura@isi.utm.tn

Submissions Information

Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Author guidelines must be strictly followed.

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Author Guidelines

Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to “Please select the issue you are submitting to”. 

Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.

Key Deadlines

Opening date for manuscripts submissions: 5th December 2025

Closing date for manuscripts submission: 28th February 2026