Embedding the New Discipline of Service Science

This chapter presents a conceptual discourse for embedding the new discipline of service science. It argues for service science to be free of paradigmatic research influences of existing disciplines, proposing service science as an integrative discipline of engineering, technological and, social sciences for the purpose of value cocreation with customers. The chapter argues that thinking of a service organisation from a systems perspective will complement the traditional reductionist position and that together they will provide a sound foundation for the discipline of service science. The chapter then goes on to put forward a research agenda for service science, considering five salient issues for knowledge production. The argument for service science knowledge production is located alongside disciplinary knowledge of service, in so doing, suggesting that service science is not a logical development within any discipline and that the time is right for it to emerge into a discipline of its own.

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