Special Topic Forum on Service Supply Chains

• Author: Scott Sampson,Martin Spring
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-493X.2010.03216.x
• Date: 01 January 2011
• Published date: 01 January 2011

Special Topic Forum on

Service Supply Chains

Guest Editors:

Scott Sampson

Brigham Young University

Martin Spring

Lancaster University Management School, UK

Services play a dominant role in most developed

economies, but are underrepresented in academic

research agendas. As emphasized by Ellram, Tate and

Billington (2007, p. 64), ‘‘Universities should also give

attention to the service sector and services supply man-

agement in educating future practitioners and in con-

ducting research. The area of services supply management

affords great research opportunities.’’ For example, the

examination of service supply chains has the potential to

shed new light on the underlying principles of supply

chain management: when stocks and flows of product

inventory are no longer the central concern, what are the

new phenomena and questions that should engage SCM

scholars? And how should we go about answering these

questions? This Special Topic Forum will seek to address

these challenges.

We invite the submission of papers that provide new

theoretical and empirical insights into service supply

chains and the supply of services between organizations.

We are particularly interested in work exploring these

phenomena beyondthe simple buyer-supplier dyad,into

networks and chains involving more than two organi-

zations. We are not interested in studies centered on the

provision of goods in service sectors, e.g., the supply of

pharmaceuticals in the healthcare sector, but in settings

focused on the provision of services between organiza-

tions—which might, indeed, be in what would routinely

be classified as manufacturing sectors. Submissions must

set out their theoretical assumptions, particularly regard-

ing the definition of services. Contributions may draw on

theory from outside of operations and supply, but must

make a clear contribution to supply chain management

theory development. Submissions may be conceptual or

empirical. Empirical studies may be based on case study,

survey, secondary data or sources of empirical data.

Examples of suitable topics include:

Supply chain implications of customers’role in service

Supply-chain effects of novel services arrangements

such as ‘‘servitization’’ and offshoring

Innovation in contracting approaches such as perfor-

mance-based contracting

Inter-firm networks in knowledge-intensive services

Risk and flexibility in service supply chains

Capacity, quality and processcoordination in extended

service supply chains

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS I S

AUGUST 31, 2011

Manuscripts must conform to JSCM style guidelines

and submission requirements. Early submissions are

welcome and the review process will be initiated when

papers are received. Manuscripts should be submitted

electronically via the Journal’s online submission plat-

form (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jscm). Please

note in the cover letter that the submission is for the

Special Topic Forum on Service Supply Chains.

Questions can be addressed to either of the

guest editors:

Martin Spring (m.spring@lancaster.ac.uk)

Scott Sampson (ses3-jscm@sm.byu.edu)

REFERENCE

Ellram, L.M., W.L. Tate and C. Billington. ‘‘Services Sup ply

Management: The Next Frontier for Improved

Organizational Performance,’’ California Manage-

ment Review, (49:4), 2007, pp. 44-66.

January 2011 95