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Johan Hultman.

Johan Hultman

Professor

Johan Hultman.

Can there only be one? Towards a post-paradigmatic service marketing approach

Author

  • Johan Hultman
  • Richard Ek

Summary, in English

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to unlock positions regarding the goods/services dichotomy in service marketing and to offer an argument that treats goods and services on an ontologically equal basis.



Design/methodology/approach – A close reading of influential texts that argue in favor of a service-dominant logic (SDL) and new paradigms in service marketing.



Findings – Both the SDL proposal and calls for new service paradigms can be understood as ad hoc solutions that serve to reproduce and even strengthen the asymmetry between goods and services. A post-paradigmatic analysis opens up new possibilities for service marketing research and practice.



Research limitations/implications – By showing how goods and services can be positioned equally, hitherto invisible sites of value creation become potential subjects for analyses in service marketing.



Practical implications – Service marketing practices are situated so as to explain the value creating interactions between service providers and customers in a more transparent way than is usual.



Originality/value – An ontologically grounded critique of the ad hoc nature of contemporary service marketing theory

Department/s

  • Department of Service Studies

Publishing year

2011

Language

English

Pages

166-180

Publication/Series

International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences

Volume

3

Issue

2

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Topic

  • Social Sciences Interdisciplinary

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1756-669X