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A practical perspective on the classification of service innovations

Jung-Kuei Hsieh (Department of Information Management, National Central University, Jhongli City, Taiwan)
Hung-Chang Chiu (Institute of Technology Management, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan)
Chih-Ping Wei (Department of Information Management, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan)
HsiuJu Rebecca Yen (Institute of Service Science, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan)
Yu-Chun Cheng (Institute of Service Science, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan)

Journal of Services Marketing

ISSN: 0887-6045

Article publication date: 2 August 2013

3343

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to link academic classifications of service innovation with practical activities by firms to detail the essence of service innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

This research employs both qualitative and quantitative analyses. The qualitative study features interviews with senior managers from 590 companies, covering nine industries in Taiwan, to gather practitioners ' perspectives on service innovation. A content analysis details specific forms of service innovation. The quantitative study provides a homogeneity test and two-sample proportions test to examine differences in service innovation perspectives/activities across organizational characteristics.

Findings

The interview data link three types of service innovations to 11 associated elements and 25 labels, derived from 659 potential service innovation incidents (550 new service concepts, 82 new service processes, and 27 new service business models). This study also shows that elements of service innovations vary by company size, service innovation experience, and industry life cycle.

Practical implications

The three types of service innovations enable businesses to benchmark and modify their current service innovation activities. Service managers can use the results of this study to develop their own service innovation strategies and concrete action plans.

Originality/value

This pioneering study links the viewpoints of academics with practical service innovation activities and empirically shows that service innovation is dissimilar, depending on various organization characteristics.

Keywords

Citation

Hsieh, J.-K., Chiu, H.-C., Wei, C.-P., Rebecca Yen, H. and Cheng, Y.-C. (2013), "A practical perspective on the classification of service innovations", Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 27 No. 5, pp. 371-384. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-10-2011-0159

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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