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JournalofServiceResearch: DOI:10.1177/1094670509357611201013:4originallypublishedonline18January2010JournalofServiceResearchandElliotRabinovichAmyL.Ostrom,MaryJoBitner,StephenW.Brown,KevinA.Burkhard,MichaelGoul,VickiSmith-Daniels,HalukDemirkanMovingForwardandMakingaDifference:ResearchPrioritiesfortheScienceofService Publishedby: CenterforExcellenceinService,UniversityofMarylandcanbefoundat:JournalofServiceResearchAdditionalservicesandinformationfor : : : : : byguestonNovember20,2010jsr.sagepub.comDownloadedfromJournalofServiceResearch13(1)4–36©TheAuthor(s)2010Reprintsandpermission::10.1177/1094670509357611’sCenterforServicesLeadershipembarkedonan18-monthefforttoidentifyandarticulateasetofglobal,interdisciplinaryresearchprioritiesfocusedonthescienceofservice.Diverseparticipationfromacademicsinavarietyofdisciplinesworkingininstitutionsaroundtheworld—incollaborationwithbusinessexecutiveswholeadorganizationsrangingfromsmallstartupstoGlobal1000companies—formedthebasisfordevelopmentofthepriorities.Theprocessledtotheidentificationofthefollowing10overarchingresearchpriorities:• Fostering service infusion and growth• Improving well-being through transformative service• Creating and maintaining a service culture• Stimulating service innovation• Enhancing service design• Optimizing service networks and value chains• Effectively branding and selling services• Enhancing the service experience through cocreation• Measuring and optimizing the value of service• Leveraging technology to advance serviceFor each priority, several important and more specific topic areas for service research emerged from the process. The intentisthattheprioritieswillspurserviceresearchbysheddinglightontheareasofgreatestvalueandpotentialreturntoacademia,business,andgovernment.Throughacademic,business,andgovernmentcollaboration,wecanenhanceourunder-standingofserviceandcreatenewknowledgetohelptacklethemostimportantopportunitiesandchallengeswefacetoday.Keywordsresearchpriorities,servicescience,technology,innovation,cocreationIntroductionTheworldisbecomingcharacterizedbyservices.Alltheworld’smostadvancedeconomiesaredominatedbyservices,withmanyhavingmorethan70%oftheirgrossdomesticproduct(GDP)generatedbyservices.Thegrowthofser-vicesisprojectedtocontinueunabatedforthesecountries.Evencountriesthathavehistoricallyfocusedonmanufacturingareexperiencingrapidservicegrowth.Forexample,morethan40%ofChina’sGDPisnowattributedtoservices.Thisglobalphenomenonofsignificant,sustainedservicegrowthhasledtoanever-growingarrayofquestionsthatneedtobeaddressed—questionsthathavesignificantimplicationsforthesuccessoffirms,thewell-beingofsocieties,andthequalityofconsumers’livesworldwide(BitnerandBrown2008).Morethanever,researchisneededtoaddresstheseissues,andbecauseofthecomplexnatureofservices,manyofthesequestionswillrequireaninterdisciplinaryfocustoanswer.This,alongwiththefactthatresearchersinmanydisciplinesarereframingandrefocusingtheireffortsaroundservice,suggeststhatthetimeisrighttobegintoidentifythemostpressingissuesrequiringresearchattention.Althoughovertheyearstherehavebeencallsformoreresearchinservice-relatedareasaswellasmorerecentforward-lookingwork1ArizonaStateUniversitybyguestonNovember20,2010jsr.sagepub.comDownloadedfromOstrometal.5examiningtrends,challenges,andimportanttopicareas(e.g.,BarrettandDavidson2008;BerryandParasuraman1993;Brown,Fisk,andBitner1994;Edvardsson2009;IfMandIBM2008;Ng,Maull,andSmith2009;Parasuraman2008;Rust1998,2004;Smith-Daniels2009;SpathandGanz2008;Swartz,Bowen,andBrown1992),thereisagrowingneedtocontinuetorefineandpromoteglobalserviceresearchagendasthatconcomitantlydrawontheinterdisciplinaryandcross-functionalperspectivesofacademicsandbusinessexecutives.ThesetrendsandworldwidedevelopmentsledusatArizonaStateUniversity’sCenterforServicesLeadership(CSL)tospearheadanefforttodevelopasetofglobal,inter-disciplinaryresearchprioritiesinandaroundservicescienceandserviceinnovation.Giventhatnoteveryoneviewsordefinesservicescienceinthesameway,weprovideabroadandinclusivedefinitionasafoundationforourwork.Wedefineservicescienceasanemerginginterdisciplinaryfieldofinquirythatfocusesonfundamentalscience,models,theories,andapplicationstodriveserviceinnovation,compe-tition,andwell-beingthroughcocreationofvalue