Servitization in International Markets: Capabilities, Ecosystems and the Orchestration of Value Across International Borders
DETAILS
Call for Papers
Servitization in International Markets: Capabilities, Ecosystems and the Orchestration of Value Across International Borders
Journal: International Marketing Review
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Special Issue
Manuscript Submission Opens: 1 September 2027
Manuscript Submission Deadline: 1 December 2027
International Marketing Review invites submissions for a Special Issue examining servitization in international markets, with particular emphasis on the capabilities, ecosystems, business models, and value-orchestration mechanisms required to successfully develop and deliver service-based offerings across national borders.
About the Special Issue
Servitization—the transition from product-focused business models toward integrated product-service and outcome-based offerings—has become an established research field across marketing, operations, strategy, and innovation. However, its international dimension remains comparatively underexplored, particularly regarding how firms adapt servitization strategies across different institutional, cultural, geographic, and regulatory environments.
This Special Issue seeks to connect international marketing, international business, innovation, and servitization research. It aims to develop a deeper understanding of how multinational corporations, SMEs, exporters, and other organizations build capabilities, coordinate international service ecosystems, use digital technologies, and create and capture value through servitized offerings across developed and emerging markets.
Topics of Interest
Submissions may address, but are not limited to:
Servitization and international market positioning
B2B and B2C relationships in international servitization
Designing outcome-based offerings across international markets
Pricing international service and outcome-based offerings
Governance of outcome-based business models
Legal and regulatory influences on international servitization
Cultural influences on service design and delivery
Scaling advanced services internationally
International expansion of outcome-based business models
Organizational capabilities for international servitization
Relational capabilities and international service delivery
Digital capabilities for global servitization
Cross-border service ecosystems
Governance and orchestration of global partnerships
Buying, selling, and deploying new services internationally
Digital platforms for globally integrated services
AI and international servitization
Data governance in global service ecosystems
Value creation and value capture across borders
Value protection under outcome- and performance-based contracts
Servitization and global trade
Tariffs and localization strategies
Global value-chain reconfiguration through servitization
Distribution of value across international economies
Sustainability and environmental performance
Servitization and net-zero transitions
Institutional influences on servitization adoption
Cross-cultural diffusion of servitization
International market complexity and servitization performance
Preferred Article Types
The Special Issue welcomes:
Methodologically rigorous review articles
Conceptual papers
Empirical research
Interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary studies
Relevant methodological approaches may include:
In-depth interviews
Case studies
Ethnographies and netnographies
Cross-cultural surveys
Experiments
Archival and secondary-data analysis
Digital trace data
Longitudinal research
Multi-method designs
Research Focus
Contributors are particularly encouraged to advance international servitization research through two complementary perspectives:
Applying established international marketing concepts and theories to servitization
Extending existing servitization theories and knowledge into international contexts, identifying what changes when servitization crosses institutional, geographic, regulatory, and cultural boundaries
Research addressing digitalization, IoT, cloud computing, predictive analytics, AI, platform ecosystems, business-model innovation, sustainability, global value chains, and cross-border value co-creation is also particularly relevant.
Feedback Opportunity Prior to Submission
A Special Session at the 2027 Spring Servitization Conference is planned for May 2027.
Authors developing papers for the Special Issue will be able to indicate this during the conference submission process. Participating authors will have an opportunity to present their work and receive feedback from the Guest Editors.
Conference Submission Deadline: January 2027
Participation in this session is not required for submission and does not guarantee publication in the Special Issue. It is intended as a manuscript-development opportunity before the journal's formal double-blind review process.
Submission Information
Manuscript Submission Opens: 1 September 2027
Manuscript Submission Deadline: 1 December 2027
Manuscripts should be submitted through the International Marketing Review ScholarOne Manuscripts system.
Authors must select “Servitization in International Markets: Capabilities, Ecosystems and the Orchestration of Value Across International Borders” from the Special Issue options during submission.
Submitted manuscripts must follow the journal's author guidelines, be original, and must not have been previously published or be under consideration for publication elsewhere while under review.
Guest Editors
Vicky Story
Email: v.m.story@lboro.ac.uk
Ali Bigdeli
Email: a.bigdeli@aston.ac.uk
Tim Bains
Email: t.bains@aston.ac.uk
Posted on ServiceSetu Academics — Premier Platform for Academic Opportunities & Research Collaboration.
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