Historical Perspectives on the Development of Services Marketing Theory & Practice

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Journal: Journal of Services Marketing

Publisher: Emerald Publishing

Submission Opens: 9 February 2026

Submission Deadline: 31 July 2026

Introduction

In an era dominated by emerging technologies, predictive algorithms, and hyper-personalized marketing strategies, the field of services marketing risks becoming unmoored from its foundational roots. The focus on the new has led to a collective amnesia about where services marketing came from, how it evolved, and which intellectual, institutional, and professional forces shaped its current identity.

This Special Issue of the Journal of Services Marketing seeks to redress that imbalance by turning back to services marketing history — not as nostalgia, but as a method of strategic clarity.

This issue takes seriously the argument that services marketing is suffering from a form of developmental myopia. It aims to investigate how the loss of historical awareness, practitioner integration, disciplinary cohesion, and ethical breadth has contributed to a weakened academic and professional impact. The goal is to challenge contributors to think historically to better shape the future of services marketing theory and practice.

By fostering a more grounded, interdisciplinary, and ethically conscious perspective, this Special Issue invites the services marketing community to reconnect with its intellectual heritage, confront its fragmentation, and reimagine a future informed by the past.

Scope & Significance

Submissions will address diverse influences on services marketing's development — including the role of universities, foundations, and policy; the split between theory and practice; the evolution of doctoral training; the influence of specific thought leaders; and critical historical incidents. Authors are encouraged to submit both conceptual and empirical work that interrogates the field's development, its current limitations, and its possibilities for renewal.

List of Topic Areas

Manuscripts are invited on themes including, but not limited to:

Institutional and economic influences on the developmental trajectory of services marketing — how global economic shifts, service-dominant economies, and institutional changes have shaped services marketing thought and practice
Government policy and public-sector interventions in shaping services marketing — regulation, subsidies, and public policy in shaping service innovation, access, and consumer trust
Universities, foundations, and research bodies driving services marketing scholarship — how academic institutions and funding priorities have advanced or limited service-focused research agendas
Influential thought leaders and seminal contributions to services marketing theory — contributions from pioneers and how their ideas continue to shape the field
Critical historical incidents that defined turning points in the evolution of services marketing — key milestones such as the services marketing paradigm shift and the emergence of Service-Dominant Logic
The evolution and decline of goods-dominant perspectives in favor of service-centric approaches — how services marketing moved beyond logistics and distribution to embrace co-creation and value-in-use
The impact of behavioralism and over-quantification on services marketing research — has the push for quantification diminished the richness of service experience and relationship research?
The design and transformation of PhD programs in services marketing — how doctoral education influences the future direction of services marketing research and theory
Bridging the gap between service marketing research and practice — examining the decline of practitioner engagement and how to restore relevance and impact
Industry-academia disconnection and its effect on services marketing innovation — case studies and solutions for integrating academic insights with real-world service design and delivery
The growing internationalization of services marketing scholarship — cross-cultural research and international collaborations reshaping services marketing theory and practice
Historical and philosophical influences on services marketing — the impact of ancient philosophy, social theory, and international schools of thought on service theories
Restoring services marketing's societal and ethical grounding — addressing the role of services in societal well-being, equity, and sustainability beyond consumer-centric metrics
Balancing stakeholder well-being in services ecosystems — how services marketing can equally consider customers, employees, providers, and society
The positioning of services marketing within the broader business academic ecosystem — why services marketing is critical to the future of marketing scholarship and managerial influence
Revitalizing services marketing through interdisciplinary and practice-driven research — integrating technology, psychology, operations, and social sciences
The role of shifting developmental drivers across eras in services marketing — examining how world wars, urbanization, economic changes, and social shifts affected the developmental trajectory
Role of journal editors, editorial review boards, and professional associations in shaping the developmental trajectory of services marketing
Is marketing best understood as a science or a profession akin to law or medicine — how the shift from professionalization to behavioral perspective affected services marketing
The role of services marketing in reversing the declining interdisciplinary influence of marketing research among scholars and practitioners

Guest Editors

Prof. J. Joseph Cronin Jr. 📧 (contact via journal submission platform)

Prof. D.M. Nagel 📧 (contact via journal submission platform)

Key Deadlines

📅 Manuscript Submission Opens: 9 February 2026

⏰ Manuscript Submission Deadline: 31 July 2026

Submission Guidelines

Submissions are made through ScholarOne Manuscripts, the official submission platform of Emerald Publishing. Authors must strictly follow the journal's author guidelines.

When submitting, select "Historical Perspectives on the Development of Services Marketing Theory & Practice" from the special issue drop-down menu at the appropriate step in the submission process.

⚠️ Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication elsewhere while under review for this journal.

🌐 Submission Portal: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jsmktg

🌐 Author Guidelines: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/jsm#jlp_author_guidelines

About the Journal

The Journal of Services Marketing (JSM), published by Emerald Publishing, is a leading peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing research and practice in services marketing. It provides an international platform for scholars and practitioners exploring service design, customer experience, service innovation, and value creation — bridging academic theory with real-world marketing practice across diverse service industries and global contexts.

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