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The aim of this article is to provide a deeper conceptual understanding of the interdependence between service innovation, sustainability and quality in the age of accelerations in the context of cities. The research question is, how can service innovation, sustainability and quality interact in cities to meet the challenges of technology, globalization and climate change?

The study adopts a qualitative research approach and cases study research method in the context of cities. In this article, meeting the challenges in the age of accelerations is analyzed and interpreted in an abductive process in an interaction between empirical findings of three progressive cities Freiburg, Malmö and Gothenburg and the conceptual and theoretical frame for getting a new meaning.

The article demonstrates the need for a deeper conceptual understanding of the interdependence of service innovation, sustainability and quality in the age of accelerations. Service innovation and quality improvement cannot be handled as a standalone managerial activity because these processes are part of values-based learning and developing a loop for transformation, value co-creation and sustainability practice.

Future research in this area should focus on generalizing the present findings to securing sustainable service business embedded on social and environmental perspectives and governance issues in other empirical settings and conceptualization.

The article looks into the idea of an ecosystem to achieve a balance between nature and people: “Dynamic” and “complex” ecosystems can be illustrated in different contexts to ensure a strong commitment to societal and environmental perspectives to create value and develop a sustainability practice.

The article makes an original contribution by using insights from service research, quality movement research and from studying actual sustainability practices in the real-life contexts of cities by developing a conceptual paper.

Sustainability transitions (STs) refer to large-scale step changes in complex systems required to face sustainability issues. We aim to delineate how they can unfold in service ecosystems, especially when inspired by regenerative thinking.

We develop a conceptual framework based on a processual view of STs and provide a propositional inventory based on literature leveraging deductive reasoning. Moreover, we contextualize our conceptualizations by showing illustrative examples of cities coping with STs.

We connect the perception of unsustainability with the shift toward service-dominant (S-D) logic and identify them as triggers of an ST; we focus on the role of nested service ecosystems and the adoption of regenerative thinking in STs; finally, we highlight the domino effect that can drive continuous change towards sustainability in service ecosystems. Future research could be focused on (loss of) sensemaking for driving STs, practical approaches to deal with institutional tensions in nested service ecosystems and the possible fractality of ST processes in service ecosystems.

This study supports the understanding of STs in cities and other systems such as industries, markets and organizations. It contributes to ST literature by suggesting the adoption of S-D logic and system lenses to identify, drive and cope with system changes toward sustainability, showing implications for policymakers and practitioners. Furthermore, it contributes to S-D logic by unfolding the self-adjustment of service ecosystems and the focus of sustainability initiatives on nested service ecosystems to sustain the broader systems. Finally, it contributes to transformative service research by identifying how the procedural and inspirational principles characterizing regenerative thinking can support design for STs.

What is contractual governance in a scenario of performance management? When approached from a static viewpoint, contracting is largely connected with the securing of resources, thus acquiring a capacity focus. In this article, we focus on contractual governance as a part of performance management for a stakeholder network in a specific, government‐controlled context: Public Transport. In order to contribute to more dynamic and sustainable public service, a more process‐oriented approach to contractual governance is necessary. Public Transportation in Sweden has undergone an initial wave of development, the production paradigm, and is now undergoing what is more a second wave of service, the service paradigm. A third wave of development is approaching: sustainability. We argue that contractual governance creates a more dynamic contractual relationship as a key element of performance management leading to more sustainable public service. We also argue that a proactive approach during the mission will positively affect all the stakeholders involved.

The purpose of this book chapter is to examine how sustainable developmental goal (SDG) implementation for sustainability transformation can be driven by the business practice of a multinational enterprise (MNE). It concerns sustainability transformation that takes place in complex environments with the engagement of different types of stakeholders from various organizations and domains. The chapter focuses on inclusive stakeholder orientation to move from a firm-centric to a societal perspective grounded in an ethical, macro-oriented, and network philosophy. The transformation is embedded in the global transformation agenda, the UN 2030 agenda, with its 17 SDGs. In this chapter, the authors assess MNEs’ role in implementing the SDGs by conceptualizing sustainability transformation practice in a business context of IKEA grounded in circular economy and circular society thinking. Implementing the SDGs strengthens the “challenge-driven transformative change.” Based on the theoretical and conceptual framework, the authors have constructed a matrix and contextualized the case of IKEA. It results in a descriptive analysis of MNE SDG implementation for sustainability transformation. The chapter has contributed a general model for a sustainability transformation practice in a business context embedded in circular economy and circular society thinking, which can utilize for challenge-driven transformative change. The new model has been redesigned for its new purpose. The model is constructed based on a new theoretical and conceptual framework and from the context of IKEA as a MNE acting as a globally integrated enterprise with a circular and societal transformation focus.

Following this introduction, this paper presents two conceptual and theoretical analyses – (i) CSR and its relation to profit and charity (ii) CSR as part of a service business model. The paper then illustrates these concepts using a comparative study of four service firms, with particular emphasis on their different CSR activities and how these affect the mission of each company. All four of the service companies are global actors with strong Service Brands (Edvardsson, Enquist and Hay, 2006) and a leading position in using CSR as a driving force for doing business: IKEA, Starbucks, H&M and the Body Shop. The paper then draws together the conceptual analysis and the case studies in a discussion of how CSR can be a proactive driver in the service business. Because of the limit space for a QMOD paper the focus is on the conceptual and theoretical analysis part and the empirical part and discussion/conclusion has to be further developed.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a deeper understanding of transcendence as business logic and to advance value co-creation and value network thinking. The authors are looking for business logic to have wider understanding of sustainable business. Understanding how value is “networked” and “co-created” by what the authors will call “transcendent business logic” in specific contextual settings is deemed essential in securing sustainable business, which social and environmental perspectives and governance issues are embedded. The authors lay the foundation for enriching the transcendence for business logics for a sustainable business based on sustainability, stakeholder-unifying perspective and value creation network theories.

The study adopts a qualitative approach, using multiple case studies to undertake an analysis of the role of transcendence for business logics. Four case studies of private companies and parallel case studies of retail, health care and public organizations (regional public transport networks) are applied. The paper further asses a methodological approach goes beyond the positivistic paradigm in service research to understand the texts and analyze the research materials. This section presents the methodological approach based on transcendence beyond objectivism and relativism and the transformation process of transcendence business logic.

The paper demonstrates that “different business logics” contributes to securing sustainable business embedded on social and environmental perspectives on governance issues. The authors have shown this based on the idea of transcendence, which can be used from a methodological point of view based on a deeper understanding beyond objectivism and relativism. The authors argued in this paper for a methodological path beyond functionalism. The authors are providing a deeper understanding of the business logic; co-creating value for people and developing sustainability for society. The study has also shown that values form the network, and co-creation is the basis for transcending the business logics.

The paper makes original contribution to the exploring transcendence for business logics to be in lieu of guiding open source business models based on the need for understanding of the new logic in the new complex landscape. In service research, the main theoretical challenges of understand and integrating value co-creation and value networks to secure sustainable businesses are founded on the principles of steering and navigation. In this study the authors addressed the need for advancement of value co-creation network thinking and perusal for the business logic to have a wider understanding of sustainable business.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of change pressure exerted by the “market” on governmental services in quality improvement processes. Two research questions are investigated. How can the role of external pressure exerted by customers and users, for quality improvement, be described and understood in governmental services? How can we understand the internal response (to external pressure exerted by customers and users, for change and quality improvement) as a strategic and cultural process?

This study focuses on two main levels: the operational level, where we analyse how the service offerings (or concepts) are designed to meet the needs (and changing needs) of the customers/citizens, the design of the service process, and the formation of the service system in terms of resources, organisational structure and culture; and the strategic level, where we analyse the interdependence between service strategy and service culture. Three cases originating from governmental services in Sweden form the empirical basis for the study.

First, the service concept must be in line with, and match, the target group to be served. If there is a gap the organisation will have an inherent quality problem. The second lesson is that the service process must be understood and accepted by both the employees and the users/customers. The results show that a lack of flexibility is a common reason behind quality problems. Involving customers more is one way of designing more flexibility. The third lesson is that the service system is also a question of the norms and values forming the basis for a service culture that supports the service process.

The article is based on just three cases from one country. More case studies are needed, and in different cultural contexts.

The pressure for change exerted in governmental organisations is not very different when compared to commercial service companies. Customers are most often the same people, with the same – or similar – needs, expectations and requirements. Quality is assessed in more or less the same way. The differences seem to surface when we take into consideration how external changes exert pressure for change within the organisation, and in the design and delivery of governmental services.

This article contributes to a theoretical point of departure for describing and analysing service quality improvement in a dynamic perspective, where both the key aspects of service strategy and service culture are taken into consideration. The empirical study shows that the framework is useful and produces fruitful empirical findings.

This paper aims to contribute to the debate on business excellence by comparing the business excellence models of Malcolm Baldrige, European Foundation for Quality Management and Swedish Institute for Quality. By assessing these in relation to today’s new business landscape, the authors suggest that emphasising issues such as stakeholder co-creation of value, stakeholder dialogue, service innovation, service logic, business ethics and different views on resource integration can alter the view of quality improvement from economic, social and environmental perspectives, in turn, leading to Business Excellence 2.0.

This study examines three business excellence models and compares their adoption of the concepts of today’s new business landscape. The study focuses on whether the models’ fundamental principles and concepts are aligned with the views on sustainability, stakeholder co-creation and service innovation.

The examined business excellence models do not fully respond to the requirements of today’s business landscape. To gain relevance in the private sector, the fundamental ideas of the models in terms of concepts, criteria and evaluation processes must be rethought. Such an opportunity enables the quality movement and service logic research to come together to develop new business excellence models that incorporate the challenges of today’s business landscape.

This paper illustrates the need to develop business excellence models to address the perspectives of today’s new business landscape.

By incorporating strategies in sustainability, stakeholder co-creation and service innovation in business excellence models, organisations can deliver sustainable business growth.

The paper sheds new light on how business excellence models can incorporate aspects of the new business landscape. It also shows how the quality movement and the ongoing service logic research can come together to develop a new business excellence model that addresses the challenges in the new business landscape.

The purpose of this research is to present a model for values‐based sustainable service business grounded in the concept of values‐based service quality.

Based on a literature review and interpretations of five narratives from a values‐driven company, IKEA, the paper proposes a model of values‐based service quality for sustainable service business.

The study distinguishes four dimensions of values‐based service quality and five dimensions of sustainability. These are all incorporated in the proposed model.

This is a fundamental study of the role of values‐based service quality in creating sustainable service business based on value‐in‐use for customers and the desirable values of corporate culture with which products and services are associated.

The purpose of this paper is to present a model for values‐based service brands grounded in values‐based service management. In undertaking this task, the paper addresses two research questions: “What is the role of values in creating customer value and corporate identity?” and “How can values and corporate identity be communicated to customers and thus contribute to customer‐perceived service value?”.

Based on five narratives from a value‐driven company, IKEA, the paper proposes a model of values‐based service brands in action. The model is based on interpretations of how IKEA manages and communicates values in practising values‐based service management.

The study distinguishes four types of “values” in the example of IKEA: economic, social, environmental, and communication‐based. These are incorporated into the model.

This is the first study of the role of values‐based service brands in creating value in use for customers.