PurposeThis paper aims to propose the ecosystemic governance for impact (EGI) framework to help innovation ecosystems generate lasting, stakeholder-aligned impact. By combining service-dominant logic (S-D logic), digitalization and Industry 4.0 (D&I4), project management (PM) and benefit realization management (BRM), the framework balances rigor with flexibility to coordinate actors, tools and value co-creation processes.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs an abductive, qualitative case study design drawing on a national R&D project (Ditron-C). The analysis integrates data from interviews, project documents, field observations and co-design artifacts, interpreted through four innovation management approaches.FindingsThe EGI framework structures innovation governance around four phases: co-visioning, co-design, co-realization and co-evolution. Each phase supports structured planning and adaptive coordination among actors, helping translate project outputs into sustained impact.Research limitations/implicationsFindings are based on a retail innovation project and validated through a cross-sector application. While these cases support the transferability of the framework, further research could examine the applicability of the framework across different ecosystems and in conditions of extreme power asymmetries.Practical implicationsIn practice, EGI helps managers move beyond checklists and dashboards, providing a scaffold that keeps negotiations open and makes impact visible over time.Social implicationsThe framework promotes inclusive governance and participatory alignment among ecosystem actors, enabling innovation processes to support lasting and mutually negotiated impact.Originality/valueThis paper proposes a mid-range theoretical framework that reframes innovation governance as a reflexive and ecosystemic process.

The paper proposes a nonlinear optimal control method for treating the control and stabilization problem of supply chain networks and inventories under time-delays. The state-space model of the supply chain network is considered to have as state variables the customer’s demand and the inventories of the manufacturer, of the retailers and of the distributors. The control inputs of the model are the manufacturer’s production and the retailer’s ordering quantities. The model is subject to time-delays. It is proven that the dynamic model of the supply chain is differentially flat and a nonlinear optimal control method is applied to it. To implement this control method, approximate linearization is performed with the use of Taylor-series expansion while an algebraic Riccati equation has to be solved at each sampling instance. The proposed control method avoids complicated changes of state variables and state-space model transformations while the control inputs it computes are applied directly on the initial nonlinear model of the controlled system. It achieves optimality because of enabling convergence of the state variables of the supply chain network to the targeted setpoints under minimal variations of the control inputs. The article’s nonlinear optimal control method is novel when compared to past approaches for treating the optimal control problem in nonlinear dynamical systems. Unlike Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC), the proposed nonlinear optimal control scheme ensures convergence to optimum without dependence on initialization and empirical selection of the controller’s parameters.

The paper aims to provide a conceptual framework to analyze the effect of digitalization on innovation decisions. In terms of methodology, by developing an envisioning contribution with the specific conceptual goal of identifying, the research proposes an analysis of innovation decisions within the S-D logic theoretical framework, highlighting that digitalization exacerbates the strategic dilemma of specialization versus diversification, bringing to a paradox. The findings show that digitalization's vastly increased reach and responsiveness push actors towards two opposing innovation orientations that can increase the value co-creation potential. One direction is solution bundling, which can be considered as developing a flexible service based on the weakly coupled available resources, the other is solution unbundling, which we define as developing specialized service by tightly coupling resources, "freezing" the further service potential. The consequent two opposing processes (i.e., solution bundling and unbundling) are each inherently self-reinforcing and that digitalization intensifies such amplifying feedback loops. We discuss why these dynamics are paradoxical and what this implies for actors by adopting an institutional approach to consider market dynamics and leveraging resource-based view and service-dominant logic.

Purpose - 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. Design/methodology/approach - 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. Findings - 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. Originality/value - 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.

Energy transitions (ETs) can solve some societal problems but must transform societies. Accordingly, socio-technical transitions and other systemic frameworks have been used to assess ETs. However, based on these frameworks, assessments miss a value co-creation orientation, the focus on actors' researched benefits and enabled service exchange, and the consideration of needed de/re-institutionalization practices. Analyzing those elements could prevent socioeconomic shocks and loss of opportunities and unfold possible ET challenges against ET viability and sustainability. Intending to develop a theory synthesis work for enriching previous frameworks, we propose service-dominant logic (S-D logic) as an integrative framework to assess ETs. We offer a literature review on ET systems' frameworks to compare them with the proposal. We also identify the implications of adopting S-D logic for rethinking energy systems' dynamics and ETs. Thus, we contribute to the literature by providing an integrative framework for assessing ETs and we illustrate its potentialities by deriving some challenges of the current Italian ET. This study paves the way for deeper analyses on the contribution of S-D logic to ETs and the operationalization of other systems' frameworks in our integrative one. Merging with quantitative models could also follow.

Many core marketing concepts (e.g., markets, relationships, customer experience, brand meaning, value) concern phenomena that are difficult to understand using linear and dyadic approaches, because they are emergent. That is, they arise, often unpredictably, from interactions within complex and dynamic contexts. This paper contributes to the marketing discipline through an explication of the concept of emergence as it applies to marketing theory. We accomplish this by first drawing on the existing literature on emergence in philosophy, sociology, and the theory of complex adaptive systems, and then link and extend this understanding to marketing using the theoretical framework of service-dominant (S-D) logic, particularly as enhanced by its service-ecosystems and institutionalization perspectives. Our work recognizes both emergence and institutionalization as integral or interrelated processes in the creation, maintenance, and disruption of markets and marketing phenomena. We conclude by discussing implications for marketing research and practice.

Service ecosystems provide a valuable perspective for exploring value co-creation, as they offer a relevant context to study dynamic resource integration processes. Although recent literature considers service ecosystem dynamics, little research concurrently addresses two key drivers of it: emergence and phase transitions. These two phenomena are often confused and frequently co-exist, with phase transitions necessarily involving emergence. Drawing on meta-theoretical foundations of service-dominant logic and systems theory, this conceptual paper synthesizes and extends knowledge of emergence and phase transitions in service ecosystems, including proposed new definitions. To achieve these aims, first the conditions where phase transitions and emergence exist or co-exist are identified, and second, key features, triggers, processes and outcomes are compared and contrasted. A conceptual framework illustrates how emergence and phase transition, together and separately, impact service ecosystem dynamics. In addition to the theoretical contribution, our work can assist managers discern, navigate and harness these phenomena by adopting non-predictive approaches such as effectuation and environmental scanning. Promising future research topics are also proposed.

It has been recognized that a service systems perspective, informed by service-dominant logic, provides a dynamic approach for studying value cocreation. According to this view, value is the increase in the viability of the system in which actors co-create value. A construct from systems theory – emergence – can be of particular interest in contributing to and detracting from systems viability. Emergence is related to the nonlinear interactions characterizing systems’ elements that can give rise to novel and unpredictable properties not contained in the elements. This paper relates emergence to service systems based on the service-dominant logic and systems theory literature. Such issues can be useful for service science scholars to identify new research avenues for service systems.

SSMED (Service Science, Management Engineering and Design) is multidisciplinary by nature. However, some authors stated that SSMED publications remain focused on single scientific domains. This paper proposes a Semiautomatic Literature Review (SALR) using integrated techniques for knowledge extraction -'Time Aware Knowledge Extraction' (TAKE) - to analyse the interdisciplinarity of SSMED publications and the potential for transdisciplinarity based on the actual adoption of Service-Dominant Logic as the foundation of SSMED research. Findings reveal that: 1) most SSMED publications are not interdisciplinary and are mainly related to Management; 2) Service-Dominant Logic has been adopted very often in SSMED publications, paving the way for SSMED transdisciplinarity. This paper offers theoretical and practical insights by enhancing the knowledge about SSMED literature and enriching the state of the art related to techniques to perform literature reviews. Furthermore, it stimulates the expansion of scholars' and managers' views of holistic approaches to service systems while fostering SSMED viability.

This work proposes a conceptual framework that combines the service ecosystems view (stemming from Service-Dominant logic) with the concept of territorial ecosystems (stemming from destination management studies). The paper aims at exploring the underlying dynamics of territorial ecosystems that can impact the competitiveness and sustainability of a community as a whole. The main goal is to support decision making in disadvantaged territories characterized by the urge to harmonize needs to achieve a sustainable advantage. Based on a literature review of the evolution of territory in destination management, a model for meta-management in territorial ecosystems is proposed. The empirical research adopts a mixed method (content analysis and semi-structured interviews) to explore the single case study of Libera, an Italian non-profit association that challenges organized crime. The study reframes Libera, its actors and territory as a service ecosystem. The findings from the case study reveal the existence of different types of territorial capital at the micro, meso and macro-level. Moreover, the results allow the identification of three main steps that the governance can realize at a meta-management level to harmonize the actor's objectives and goals and foster the creation of a cohesive sustainable-oriented culture. From a theoretical point of view, the study encourages further research to introduce a strategic framework able to identify different strategies for value co-creation and sustainable outcomes. Revealing the key drivers for the local development and sustainability of territories can help managers understand how to optimize the relationships of all the ecosystem's stakeholders and how to monitor value co-creation in progress during all the phases of the service provision.

Sustainability is a fundamental concern of our times and is particularly important in healthcare, since people are embedded in the healthcare systems on which their health and the viable usage of resources depend. Due to the complexity of healthcare systems, both in terms of governance and pathways from decisions to behaviours, there is no one-size-fits-all theory, but solutions have to be co-created with the actors operating within the systems. This paper proposes case theory as the methodological approach to analyse and interpret cases in order to identify theories suitable for sustainable healthcare systems. Case theory is a recent extension of case study research that includes network theory and systems theory. An example of a case from an Italian regional healthcare system dealing with stroke patients is presented to show how several methods can be mixed and how a substantive theory emerges.

In Italia, il settore agroalimentare e tra i principali protagonisti dell’export nazionale, anche grazie alla crescente attenzione e preferenza per i prodotti Made in Italy. Qui, come negli altri Paesi sviluppati, l’agricoltura sta subendo una forte trasformazione digitale. Un numero sempre piu elevato di aziende, infatti, si occupa oggi di Agritech (serre idroponiche, orti personalizzati bio, agricoltura di precisione, utilizzo di droni, etc.) e di Agricoltura verticale, con aumenti significativi degli investimenti nei processi innovativi. In tale rinnovato scenario, l’utilizzo delle nuove tecnologie comporta un’evoluzione del ruolo stesso dell’agricoltore, che oggi e piu affine alla figura di un manager chiamato ad assumere decisioni in grado di sviluppare soluzioni nuove ed innovative. Diventa inoltre necessario definire nuove relazioni tra gli attori operanti nel contesto o nuove modalita di interazione tra di essi, in grado di definire nuove “regole di gioco” e nuove possibilita di crescita per ciascuno. Il presente lavoro si propone di interpretare le piu recenti innovazioni nel campo dell’agricoltura di precisione in Italia secondo la prospettiva della Service-Dominant logic, allo scopo di fornire nuovi strumenti d’indagine e di analisi delle dinamiche relazionali e dei processi decisionali degli Attori e desumere nuove riflessioni manageriali e di gestione d’impresa. Vengono pertanto suggeriti nuovi spunti interpretativi delle dinamiche relazionali che intercorrono tra gli attori operanti nell’ambito dell’agricoltura di precisione, attraverso la lente interpretativa fornita dagli studi sui service eco-system. Dal punto di vista metodologico infatti, le moderne tecniche colturali sono analizzate sulla base degli avanzamenti scientifici sui service eco-system. Allo scopo di verificare le riflessioni e le considerazioni derivate da tale prospettiva, viene presentato un case study progettuale, relativo ad una iniziativa di R&S (“POMOVINO”) relativa allo sviluppo e test di nuove tecnologie di telerilevamento nell’agricoltura di precisione, recentemente co-finanziata con fondi europei a valere su un Avviso Pubblico nazionale e svolta in Regione Campania. L’originalita del lavoro risiede nella nuova prospettiva utilizzata per l’osservazione dell’ecosistema di servizio dell’agricoltura di precisione, volta ad indagare le modalita di interazione tra le parti, in ambito agricolo, e la possibilita che le nuove tecnologie adottate, attraverso un impatto sulla resourceness di ciascuno, ne possano riqualificare la capacita di essere attrattivi. Parole chiave: agricoltura di precisione, ecosistema di servizio, relazioni, decisioni, resourceness, institutions.

Management can be considered the science of decisions. Different researchers and practitioners have analysed the contents and boundaries of this vibrant domain, proposing multiple contributions and several perspectives. After a short overview of the principles of scientific management and their contribution to the definition of the modern idea of business management, this chapter briefly introduces the topics of subjectivity, complexity and uncertainty as relevant challenges to face in decision-making processes. The aim is to identify the key dimensions of the decision-making process over time. Lastly, systems thinking, and specifically the Viable Systems Approach (VSA), is proposed as a relevant interpretative lens to overcome the limitations of a traditional reductionist view and better understand the challenges and dynamics of post-modern social and economic dynamics.

To symbolize the importance of contextual factors of provision in the contemporary service era, in festival research, the term festivalscape has been proposed. Despite the large number of works investigating the construct, extant research does not adequately assess the systemic and interactive nature of festivals, which can be viewed as a set of interconnected elements. To bridge this gap, this article evaluates four festival attributes (atmosphere, service quality, people interaction and collateral services) according to service-dominant logic and service-ecosystem view. Current work examines a light festival organized in Salerno during the Christmas holiday using a sequential regression analysis, revealing the mediating role of experience and satisfaction in influencing behavioural intention.