Introduction to the Special Issue on Reimagining the Science of Service in a Post-Pandemic VUCA World, Part 1
H0: “Change is the only constant in life.”
—Heraclitus of Ephesus
Ha: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
—Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr and Jon Bon Jovi
This special issue of Service Science was developed to explore which aspects of the conventional wisdom, scholarly knowledge, and industry best practicies should continue as before and which should be questioned, revised, and reimagined as the world begins the process of reopening in the post-COVID-19 era. Furthermore, even prior to the current global pandemic, businesses were already operating in the economic environment characterized as VUCA, which stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity.
The call for submissions for this special issue attracted a large number of submissions in the form of extended abstracts from scholars across the world. Each abstract was initially reviewed by the guest editors, and approximately 40 author teams were invited to submit a full paper for consideration for publication. This special issue includes the first batch of six papers accepted for publication after an additional two rounds of peer reviews. A few additional papers are still undergoing the review process, and it is expected that a second special issue will be published in another few months.
The collection of articles included in this issue are very diverse along multiple dimensions. For example, the author teams include both well-established and emerging scholars affiliated with universities located in several countries (the United States, Canada, India, Vietnam, the Republic of Korea, and Australia). The methodological focus of the papers varies from the conceptual, to the mathematical, to the empirical. Furthermore, the industry focus of the papers is also very diverse, spanning healthcare, elderly care, hospitality, and other services. We believe that the articles included in this special issue address timely and important topics that be should be of interest to all students and scholars of Service Science. As guest editors, it was our pleasure to work with all the authors, reviewers, and staff of Service Science. We sincerely thank everyone for their kind support, which has led to the successful completion of this special issue.
List of Papers Included in This Special Issue
Fisk RP, Alkire L (2021) Service Ecosystem Health: A Transformative Approach to Elevating Service Science.
Palsule-Desai O, Vaze V, Li G, Gavirneni S (2021) Service Delivery Strategies for Alleviating Pandemic Suffering While Maintaining Profitability.
Nguyen J, Le QV, Ha JT (2021) Impacts of Health and Safety Concerns on E-Commerce and Service Reconfiguration During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from an Emerging Economy.
Kim C, Chung K, Kang HJ, Choi K (2021) COVID-19 and Hotel Productivity Changes: An Empirical Analysis Using Malmquist Productivity Index.
Kong L, Hu K, Walsman M (2021) Caring for an Aging Population in a Post Pandemic World: Emerging Trends in the U.S. Older Adult Care Industry.
Le D, Phi G, Le T (2021) Integrating Chaotic Perspective and Behavioral Learning Theory into a Global Pandemic Crisis Management Framework for Hotel Service Providers.
