Servitization and Product–Service Systems (PSS): Design, Management, and Ethics for Human Well-Being
A special issue of Systems (ISSN 2079-8954). This special issue belongs to the section "Systems Practice in Social Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 39
Special Issue Editors
Interests: well-being; services marketing; service management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: well-being; product–service systems; service design; services marketing
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The core of economic activity has shifted from the manufacturing sector to the service sector. Customers find greater value in experiences other than the function of goods; hence, many companies that formerly sold goods have transformed their offerings to provide service experiences. Research on servitization and product–service systems (PSS) has driven this trend.
More recently, there has been a growing emphasis on the creation of social value through PSS provision: for example, shifting from customer satisfaction to well-being, and from business viability to sustainability (Tsunetomo et al. 2022). In response to these changes, the concepts and methods for the design and management of PSS, as well as servitization strategies, need to be updated (Akasaka et al. 2024). Moreover, the advancement of digital technologies sheds light on their potential contribution to the well-being of customers and employees in business (Dhiman et al. 2023; Ho et al. 2022; Watanabe et al. 2024).
In view of the above aspects, this Special Issue welcomes submissions on the design, management, and ethics of servitization and PSS for the well-being of individuals and society.
References
- Akasaka, F., Mitake, Y., Watanabe, K., Nishikawa, Y., Ozawa, J., & Shimomura, Y. (2024). Designing a digital service system for sustainable social value creation: A holistic design method based on socio-cyber-physical system perspectives. Sustainability, 16(21), 9532.
- Tsunetomo, K., Watanabe, K., & Kishita, Y. (2022). Smart product-service systems design process for socially conscious digitalization. Journal of Cleaner Production, 368, 133172.
- Dhiman, H., Nemoto, Y., Fellmann, M., & Röcker, C. (2023). Beyond productivity and efficiency: design tools, methods and frameworks for psychological well-being, and (un)exploited potentials to assist employees at work. Frontiers in Computer Science, 5, 1129087.
- Ho, B. Q., Otsuki, M., Kishita, Y., Kobayakawa, M., & Watanabe, K. (2022). Human augmentation technologies for employee well-being: A research and development agenda. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1195.
- Watanabe, K., Miwa, H., Wakui, T., & Kajitani, I. (2024). Adopting the service system view toward successful implementation of assistive technologies. Geriatrics & Gerontology International, 24, 74-80.
Dr. Bach Quang Ho
Dr. Yutaro Nemoto
Dr. Kentaro Watanabe
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- product–service systems
- servitization
- well-being
- service design
- social sustainability
- digital technologies
- extended producer responsibility
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