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Services Marketing and Sustainability
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Services Marketing and Sustainability

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 42113

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Raquel Sánchez-Fernández

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
Interests: services marketing, consumer behaviour, perceived value, relationship marketing, social marketing and sustainability, digital marketing, agricultural marketing, tourism, higher education
Dr. Martina G. Gallarza

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Marketing and Market Research, University of Valencia, València, Spain
Interests: services marketing, tourism, health and education, consumer behaviour, perceived value, satisfaction, Service Dominant Logic

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainability requires a global commitment from all members of society to preserve the natural, human, cultural and economic capital of the planet and thus providing humankind with a prosperous future. However, marketing policies and strategies developed by public and private organizations are not always in line with this mindset. This is especially remarkable in service activities since the optimization of the service delivery processes, the growing use of new technologies and Artificial Intelligence, and the improvement of business performance can derive into unsustainable decision-making. This Special Issue welcomes papers addressing relations between services marketing and sustainability in its broader sense. In this framework, the Special Issue aims to attract attention to worthy studies that combine any methodology both qualitative and quantitative, with relevant theory building. Interdisciplinary papers are welcome, from social and environmental psychology, natural sciences, management, economics, etc., as they affect services marketing.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

A. Sustainability in Services: Environmental, Social and Economic Dimensions of Sustainability.
  • Service companies and sustainable environmental practices: green marketing and ecological marketing.
  • Design and management of sustainable-related services: best environmental practices, ecolabels, environmental management systems and environmental performance.
  • Socio-cultural sustainability strategies in service companies.
  • The contribution of service businesses to the economic development of the areas in which they operate.
B. Service Thinking: Perspectives and Applications.
  • How much has Service Theory building to do with sustainability? Can good services be non-sustainable?
  • Sustainable servicescape and service environments.
  • Service innovation from a sustainable organizational view.
  • The paradox of service marketing: increased consumption and economic development in the service industry versus social corporate responsibility and consumer education in sustainable practices.
  • Service marketing, corporate social responsibility and sustainability.
  • Sustainability in the value chain of service companies.
  • Sustainable public and non-profit services.
C. Transformative Service Research (TSR) and Sustainability.
  • How much does TSR add to sustainability?
  • Conceptual linkages between TRS and sustainability.
  • TSR practices in different settings (e.g., health, education, tourism, etc.) in search of sustainable service environments.
D. New Technologies and Services - Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Enabled Services.
  • How do Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) contribute to enhance sustainability in services firms?
  • Digitization in services and innovative sustainable resource management.
  • How do Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of the Things (IoT) and/or Big Data contribute (or not) to the sustainable development in service firms?
E. Pro-sustainable Consumer Behaviour in Services: Triggers and Barriers.
  • Consumer behaviour and sustainability in the service industry.
  • Sustainability, collaborative economy and peer-to-peer in services.
  • Performing sustainable behaviours and avoiding unsustainable practices in services.
  • The role of service marketing in the sustainable consumption: changes in consumer behaviour.
  • The anti-consumption phenomenon: reluctance to buy in services due to unsustainable business practices.
  • Responsible consumption in the acquisition and service delivery to minimize or eliminate harmful effects and maximize the long-term beneficial impact on the society and the environment.
F. Service-Dominant Logic (SDL) and Perspectives of Sustainable Value Creation.
  • Ecosystems and sustainability.
  • Sustainable practices as value facilitators in service businesses.
  • Value creation and decision-making in services in a sustainable society.

Prof. Dr. Raquel Sánchez-Fernández
Dr. Martina G. Gallarza
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Services marketing
  • Sustainability
  • Sustainable servicescape
  • Value chain
  • Transformative service research
  • New technologies
  • Sustainable marketing practices
  • Social marketing orientation
  • Social corporate responsibility
  • Environmental sustainability
  • Green marketing
  • Ecological marketing
  • Sociocultural sustainability
  • Economic sustainability
  • Sustainable consumption
  • Consumer behavior
  • Anticonsumption
  • Responsible consumption
  • Service-dominant logic
  • Value creation

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 1709 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Product-Country Image from Consumer’s Perspective: The Impact of Subjective Knowledge, Perceived Risk and Media Influence
by María del Mar Serrano-Arcos, Raquel Sánchez-Fernández and Juan Carlos Pérez-Mesa
Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2194; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042194 - 18 Feb 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2716
Abstract
Limited research has empirically explored the antecedents that explain product-country image in the context of international marketing. This topic is particularly important as consumers’ concerns about sustainability and the country of origin are relevant factors influencing purchase decisions relating to foreign products. This [...] Read more.
Limited research has empirically explored the antecedents that explain product-country image in the context of international marketing. This topic is particularly important as consumers’ concerns about sustainability and the country of origin are relevant factors influencing purchase decisions relating to foreign products. This study addresses the gap by developing a causal relationship model to explain which are the main determinants of how consumers perceive product-country image on the basis of key aspects that define sustainability (environmental, social, quality/safety, and economic factors). This research is focused on the Spanish horticultural sector, Europe’s leading fresh produce supplier, which has historically experienced major crises that have affected its image abroad. The model is tested by using PLS-SEM on a sample of 303 consumers in Germany, one of the main destination markets of Spanish horticultural products. The results indicate that consumers’ subjective knowledge about image crises of the country and its products/services and consumers’ perceived risk of these products and information sources (organic and induced image) influence the formation of product-country image. The results have implications in the design of marketing campaigns and in the improvement of sustainable strategies for international companies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Services Marketing and Sustainability)
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17 pages, 503 KiB  
Article
Value Co-Creation and Satisfaction in B2B Context: A Triadic Study in the Furniture Industry
by Vicente Sales-Vivó, Irene Gil-Saura and Martina G. Gallarza
Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 152; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010152 - 25 Dec 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3085
Abstract
Research on Value co-Creation (VcC) has been more extensive in B2C (business-to-consumer) than in B2B (business-to-business) and mainly for service contexts, under dyadic approaches (supplier–client). Moreover, research has paid little attention to the impacts of VcC on Satisfaction in its duality: Social and [...] Read more.
Research on Value co-Creation (VcC) has been more extensive in B2C (business-to-consumer) than in B2B (business-to-business) and mainly for service contexts, under dyadic approaches (supplier–client). Moreover, research has paid little attention to the impacts of VcC on Satisfaction in its duality: Social and Economic Satisfaction. As a novelty, this study examines VcC in B2B industrial relationships in the triad of supplier–manufacturer–client. A model proposes VcC as an antecedent of manufacturer’s Economic Satisfaction, with the mediating role of Social Satisfaction. The model is empirically contrasted for a sample of 77 firms from an industrial panel—the Spanish Furniture Market Observatory. The triadic approach is depicted with bi-directional relationships of the manufacturer with its main supplier and main client). Results evidence that VcC and Economic Satisfaction are greater in the manufacturer–main client relationship. Moreover, the manufacturer’s Satisfaction relies on its social dimension, which has a key role to produce Economic Satisfaction. Results also show asymmetry in the supply chain, different from those with the main supplier. Implications for managers invite to achieve a long-term VcC chain with all business partners, the focus being on manufacturer’s social dimension, so the triad supplier–manufacturer–client could be better aligned. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Services Marketing and Sustainability)
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23 pages, 979 KiB  
Article
A Textual and Visual Analysis of the Intrinsic Value Dimensions of Romania: Towards a Sustainable Destination Brand
by Cristina Lupu, Ana Isabel Rodrigues, Oana Mihaela Stoleriu and Martina G. Gallarza
Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 67; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010067 - 23 Dec 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3137
Abstract
This work examines the projected image of Romania as an emerging tourism destination. Computed content-analysis was applied to the photos, text and video materials promoted online in Romania’s last international tourism campaign. The conceptual framework used corresponds to intrinsic values (play, aesthetics, ethics [...] Read more.
This work examines the projected image of Romania as an emerging tourism destination. Computed content-analysis was applied to the photos, text and video materials promoted online in Romania’s last international tourism campaign. The conceptual framework used corresponds to intrinsic values (play, aesthetics, ethics and spirituality), from Holbrook’s typology of value. Being more difficult to apprehend and therefore studied less, intrinsic values allow a more sophisticated approach to value creation. The purpose here is to identify the main attributes that are promoted about Romania by destination marketing organizations. The content analysis of text (last international promotion campaign Explore the Carpathian Garden) and visual data (27 photos from the official Facebook webpage and 7 TV videos) allow to depict an experiential view of Romania’s image: natural resources (coded as aesthetics with 29% of references), epistemic value of discovery (play 25.8%), authentic and historical traditions (ethics 25.8%) and wellness and therapeutic activities (spirituality, 19.3%). Destination marketing organizations have the potential to develop some distinctive aspects such as authenticity (as an ethical value dimension) and play (as an active, self-oriented value). Findings also highlight that a complimentary approach using textual and visual data might be a suitable option to research destination brand image. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Services Marketing and Sustainability)
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18 pages, 837 KiB  
Article
Consumer Attitudes and Purchase Intentions toward Food Delivery Platform Services
by Han-Shen Chen, Chia-Hsing Liang, Shu-Yi Liao and Hung-Yu Kuo
Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 10177; https://doi.org/10.3390/su122310177 - 6 Dec 2020
Cited by 54 | Viewed by 20717
Abstract
With the advent of the Online to Offline (O2O) era, the rise of various food delivery platforms not only provides consumers with more choices, but also allows restaurant operators to reach more potential consumers and increase their additional revenue. This study is based [...] Read more.
With the advent of the Online to Offline (O2O) era, the rise of various food delivery platforms not only provides consumers with more choices, but also allows restaurant operators to reach more potential consumers and increase their additional revenue. This study is based on theory of planned behavior (TPB), and includes the ‘utilitarian value’ and ‘hedonic value’ as research variables. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to verify the research hypotheses, and to analyze consumers’ purchase intentions toward online food delivery platforms. An online survey was also conducted, and a total of 1300 questionnaires were distributed. After excluding invalid questionnaires with incomplete answers, a total of 1082 questionnaires were deemed valid, and the effective recovery rate was 83.23%. The research results were as follows: (1) the attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control of consumers will have a significant positive effect on utilitarian value and hedonic value; (2) the utilitarian and hedonic values have a significant positive effect on purchase intention; and (3) the utilitarian and hedonic values have a mediating effect on attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and purchase intention. Based on the above results, food delivery platform operators can identify the key factors that drive consumers to use their services in order to formulate effective management strategies and create greater business opportunities for their organizations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Services Marketing and Sustainability)
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32 pages, 2209 KiB  
Article
Audit Institutions in the European Union: Public Service Promotion, Environmental Engagement and COVID Crisis Communication through Social Media
by Andreea Hancu-Budui, Ana Zorio-Grima and Jose Blanco-Vega
Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 9816; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12239816 - 24 Nov 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4072
Abstract
This article analyses Social Media (SM) use as a promotion tool for public institutions in the public audit sector. The authors propose a quantitative model to assess online engagement of 94 European audit institutions (national and regional) with their stakeholders, based on SM [...] Read more.
This article analyses Social Media (SM) use as a promotion tool for public institutions in the public audit sector. The authors propose a quantitative model to assess online engagement of 94 European audit institutions (national and regional) with their stakeholders, based on SM and web activity metrics of these institutions, with a focus on pressing matters such as environment, sustainability and the current COVID pandemic. The proposed model may be applied to assess organisations from any public or private sector. The research finds that SM presence helps audit institutions to promote their services more effectively by directing their stakeholders to extensive content on the audit institutions’ websites, thus contributing to an increase in their web traffic. Most audit institutions do not have a strategy for the online promotion of their services and work outputs, nor do they, in general, use SM for intensively promoting environmental or sustainability-related messages. The only exception is the European Court of Auditors, who clearly promotes its environment-related activity by actively and increasingly posting on SM and referencing its reports. Audit institutions could benefit from the nature of their evidence-based activity and promote their findings on emerging topics to positively influence public policies and accountability at all levels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Services Marketing and Sustainability)
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16 pages, 666 KiB  
Article
Measurement of Service Quality in Trade Fair Organization
by José Felipe Jiménez-Guerrero, Jerónimo de Burgos-Jiménez and Jorge Tarifa-Fernández
Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9567; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229567 - 17 Nov 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3002
Abstract
The success of a trade fair depends on the close collaboration between organizers and exhibitors with potential visitors. While the literature has invested a great deal of interest in the role of the exhibitor and, to a lesser extent, to the visitor, scarce [...] Read more.
The success of a trade fair depends on the close collaboration between organizers and exhibitors with potential visitors. While the literature has invested a great deal of interest in the role of the exhibitor and, to a lesser extent, to the visitor, scarce attention has been paid to the vital role played by the fair organizer. The present work analyzes the latter and their importance to the success of a trade fair, which is measured by the quality of the services offered to exhibitors. Using a sample of exhibitors at an International Spanish trade fair, regression analysis is used to examine, at the exploratory level, some quality aspects linked to organizers that can affect the fulfillment of objectives established by exhibitors prior to attending a fair. The results obtained reveal that two dimensions of quality linked to the organizer (event design and quality of results) highly correlate with the final perceptions of exhibitors, and that their deficient quality level prevents the exhibitors from reaching their fair goals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Services Marketing and Sustainability)
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17 pages, 530 KiB  
Article
Ethically Minded Consumer Behavior, Retailers’ Commitment to Sustainable Development, and Store Equity in Hypermarkets
by Irene Sánchez-González, Irene Gil-Saura and María Eugenia Ruiz-Molina
Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 8041; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12198041 - 29 Sep 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4251
Abstract
The present paper analyzed the influence of ethically minded consumer behavior on retailer’s commitment to sustainable development as perceived by the consumer, and their contribution to the chain of relationships “store equity–loyalty–word of mouth communication”, in the context of retailing. Responses from 317 [...] Read more.
The present paper analyzed the influence of ethically minded consumer behavior on retailer’s commitment to sustainable development as perceived by the consumer, and their contribution to the chain of relationships “store equity–loyalty–word of mouth communication”, in the context of retailing. Responses from 317 hypermarket customers in Ecuador were analyzed. The model was estimated using the partial least squares technique. The results show the sustainable development actions implemented by retailers, together with perceived value, contribute significantly to store equity creation, which explains customer loyalty and, ultimately, positive word-of-mouth communication. However, the most concerned consumers of ethical aspects value the retailer’s efforts towards sustainability to a lesser extent. The findings of this research allow developing a series of implications for the managers of these establishments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Services Marketing and Sustainability)
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