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Trajectories of influential conceptual articles in service research

Loic Pengtao Li (Marketing, Business School, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand)
Julia A. Fehrer (Marketing, Business School, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand) (Marketing and Service Management, Faculty of Law and Economics, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany)
Roderick J. Brodie (Marketing, Business School, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand)
Biljana Juric (Marketing, Business School, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand)

Journal of Service Management

ISSN: 1757-5818

Article publication date: 10 August 2021

Issue publication date: 11 October 2021

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to diagnose the trajectory of influential conceptual articles in developing a research stream. The authors uncover the knowledge diffusion through influential conceptual articles and identify characteristics that make conceptual articles influential in their field.

Design/methodology/approach

This study draws on scientometrics, specifically an integrated approach combining quantitative citation counts with qualitative citation practices analysis that offers a comprehensive understanding of the nature and context of citations. The authors use the case of customer engagement – a prominent contemporary marketing and service research stream – to explore the trajectory of influential articles in shaping a new research stream.

Findings

This research shows that influential articles contribute to the reciprocal knowledge diffusion within and outside their home discipline. They provide anchor points for conceptual framing, conceptual refining and conceptual reconciliation – three application patterns of citations that are pivotal to navigate theory discovery and theory justification in a research field.

Research limitations/implications

The study analyzes the early impact period of two influential customer engagement articles to understand the developments leading to the establishment of a new research stream. Future research drawing on automated citation and bibliometric methods may consider extended time periods.

Originality/value

This study traces the trajectory of influential articles in marketing and service research. The authors identify characteristics of influential conceptual articles, and recommend practices to develop a conceptual paper with the potential for an influential trajectory. It shows that while marketing and service research has a tradition of “borrowing” theories from other fields, seminal articles “lend” theories to other fields.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The first two authors contributed equally to the development of this article.

The authors acknowledge the helpful and constructive comments of the review team and the support of two research assistants Eva (Qi) Wang and Tori (Chunxiao) Ma in data preparation and data coding.

Citation

Li, L.P., Fehrer, J.A., Brodie, R.J. and Juric, B. (2021), "Trajectories of influential conceptual articles in service research", Journal of Service Management, Vol. 32 No. 5, pp. 645-672. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-04-2021-0121

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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