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The purpose of this study is to investigate the capabilities and roles of three types of actors, specifically technology-based start-ups, incumbent firms and intermediaries, in co-constructing a network for development and commercialization of an emerging technology. In particular, the research aims to understand how the roles played by network actors evolve during the development and commercialization process and what operational and dynamic capabilities are developed by actors through collaboration.

A single longitudinal case study methodology was applied to analyse roles and operational and dynamic capabilities developed in a network setting by multiple parties over time.

The findings indicate that actors need to take on new roles to be successful when dealing with an emerging technology in a network context and they need to develop certain dynamic capabilities to enact these roles. The study categorizes roles and capabilities of network actors through various stages of collaboration. Actors developed sensing capabilities in the pre-collaboration stage which drove joint new product development. During the collaboration, seizing capabilities were developed where resource commitment and alignment of resources among actors were essential. Capabilities gained through commercialization and large-scale production were predominantly transforming capabilities where actors realigned their structure and had positive impact on capability development in the wider network.

Using data of a single case data may limit the applicability of the findings, which calls for future research.

The findings inform managers’’ and policymakers’ strategies related to participation in networks for development and commercialization of emerging technologies. The research provides insights about the role of large and small firms as well as intermediary organizations in development of nanotechnology and highlights that all network actors need to develop and utilize dynamic capabilities in all areas of sensing, seizing and transforming over time to be able to innovate and successfully commercialize a new product.

The research investigates evolution of operational and dynamic capabilities and roles of multiple actors over time in collaborative networks for development and commercialization of an emerging technology. Building on the dynamic capabilities concept, the study broadens our understanding of the evolution of these capabilities in a network setting and elaborates how capability development is linked to changes in roles.

Investigates the planning, negotiation and setting up of a joint venture company (JVC) in Indonesia between a British multinational corporation, an Indonesian state‐owned company and an Indonesian private company. It explores the influence of cultural diversity on this process, the role of stakeholders and the management of their interest and power. The paper is organised around an analytical framework for such considerations and proposes a phased approach to the critical preparatory stage of joint‐venture based collaboration in SE Asia.

The purpose of this paper is to provide directions for future research on: broadening the role of customers in customer experience; taking a practice-based approach to customer experience; and recognizing the holistic, dynamic nature of customer experience across all touch points and over time.

The approach is conceptual identifying current gaps in research on customer experience.

The findings include a set of research questions and research agenda for future research on customer experience.

This research suggests fresh perspectives for understanding the customer experience which can inspire future research and advance theory and managerial practice.

This paper generates a network perspective of the development of new services. Service development within a network environment is at an early stage of understanding and has received little attention. The authors contribute to greater understanding of the new service development process by conceptually developing and integrating two themes: the development of new services and the innovation process within networks, rooted in the study of industrial networks. The conceptual discussion is further strengthened by a case study of network‐based new service development in the financial services sector.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature of context and its implications for theory and research in service.

This is a conceptual paper based on exploring existing research and theory related to context in service research.

The characteristics of service make context both important and challenging, there is great contextual diversity in service research as reflected, for example in ecosystems made up of multiple contextual variables. There is a need to identify the context-specific nature of middle range theory and the contextual logic of general theory. The authors explore the challenges of context for service theory and how we might learn from theory in a particular context and test or adapt it in other contexts.

The findings of this paper are of value to researchers seeking to develop and justify theory in service research (general, middle range or theory in use).

David Lebond, executive director of employee‐benefits provider p&mm, worked with Nottingham City Council in the UK to introduce its first ever employee‐benefits package.

Successful new product and service development increasingly relies on the ability to adopt an international perspective, throughout the development process itself, and by targeting international or global markets, rather than simply serving domestic customers. Yet, although there exists an impressive body of research concerning the management of new product development, the evidence base with respect to international (or global) new product development practices and management is largely in its infancy, and is, at best, fragmented. This guest editorial provides a synopsis of the main research streams in the broad field of international new product development, highlighting major gaps in current knowledge and understanding. The special issue is a modest attempt at tapping current thoughts and research investigations in this critical area, seeking, also, to stimulate much‐needed debate and further research. One article examines whether international diversity is positively associated with new product development performance. Two articles tackle the role that national culture plays in influencing consumer acceptance of new products (technology) on the one hand, and firms’ global new product development approach on the other. A final article investigates technology transfer as a special case of new technology adoption in developing markets.

The purpose of this paper is to explore new product development (NPD) best practice from a practitioner's perspective. A large body of research has been completed on best practices in NPD. However, there is a limited knowledge of the extent to which practitioners are aware of what constitutes a NPD best practice and are aware of the relative importance of different NPD best practices.

Using an established framework, this research investigates NPD practitioners' views of best practices. Data were collected through a survey using a combination of quantitative and qualitative questions from 70 SMEs and 74 large companies in Ireland and the UK.

The results show that practitioners assign different levels of importance to the various NPD best practices. Regardless of company size, strategy is viewed as the most importance best practice for NPD, while metrics and performance evaluation is seen as the least important. This does not support previous research, which has shown that excellence in NPD process is the primary driver of NPD success. Additionally, there were differences between the specific practices that NPD practitioners from SMEs and large companies considered to be best practice.

This paper identifies a gap between what researchers and practitioners understand to be NPD best practice. The results further our understanding of how NPD practitioners translate existing NPD knowledge into actual NPD practice. The results presented in this paper suggest that there is much to be gained by strengthening the links between researchers and NPD practitioners. There is limited value in developing theories and models about the “best” ways to manage NPD unless these model and theories are fully diffused and can be made useful to NPD practitioners.

The purpose of this paper is to explore enhancing theory development in service research and provide an overview of the five essays on theorizing initiated by the International Network for Service Research workshop, held at Karlstad, Sweden in September 2014.

A collaborative theorizing process which was initiated at the Karlstad, Sweden workshop.

Six (five from the event and the introduction) original and provocative essays that explore different aspects of theorizing in service research.

Exploring how a collaborative approach to research can be used.