Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Business services 'in the making'
T2 - (de)stabilisation of service definitions during the sourcing process
AU - Selviaridis, Kostas
AU - Agndal, Henrik
AU - Axelsson, Bjorn
PY - 2011/5
Y1 - 2011/5
N2 - Recent studies suggest that service definition is an ongoing process, with service characteristics being temporarily stabilised and destabilised through buyer-service provider interactions. However, little is still known about how and, in particular, why services are (re)defined during the sourcing process, e.g., in terms of their intended outputs, how they are performed (processes), the inputs required and their economic outcomes. This paper addresses this gap as follows: (a) by examining in detail how service definitions are (de)stabilised during the sourcing process and (b) by identifying five categories of influencing factors (i.e., sourcing capability, supplier expertise reliance, complexity, relationship continuity and adaptive interactions) and developing propositions regarding their stabilising/destabilising impact on different service definition aspects. The study contributes to theory development on service definition dynamics and emphasises the positive effects of revisiting service specifications both pre- and post-contract. It also offers an extension of the theory of service definition methods by stressing their dynamic deployment during the sourcing process.
AB - Recent studies suggest that service definition is an ongoing process, with service characteristics being temporarily stabilised and destabilised through buyer-service provider interactions. However, little is still known about how and, in particular, why services are (re)defined during the sourcing process, e.g., in terms of their intended outputs, how they are performed (processes), the inputs required and their economic outcomes. This paper addresses this gap as follows: (a) by examining in detail how service definitions are (de)stabilised during the sourcing process and (b) by identifying five categories of influencing factors (i.e., sourcing capability, supplier expertise reliance, complexity, relationship continuity and adaptive interactions) and developing propositions regarding their stabilising/destabilising impact on different service definition aspects. The study contributes to theory development on service definition dynamics and emphasises the positive effects of revisiting service specifications both pre- and post-contract. It also offers an extension of the theory of service definition methods by stressing their dynamic deployment during the sourcing process.
KW - Service definition
KW - Temporary stabilisation
KW - Service sourcing process
KW - Business services
KW - MANAGEMENT
KW - PRODUCTS
KW - STRATEGY
KW - CAPABILITIES
KW - PERFORMANCE
KW - MARKETS
U2 - 10.1016/j.pursup.2010.08.001
DO - 10.1016/j.pursup.2010.08.001
M3 - Journal article
VL - 17
SP - 73
EP - 86
JO - Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management
JF - Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management
SN - 1478-4092
IS - 2
ER -