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Identifying the resource integration processes of green service

Hugo Guyader (Department of Management and Engineering, Linkopings universitet, Linkoping, Sweden)
Mikael Ottosson (Department of Management and Engineering, Linkopings universitet, Linkoping, Sweden)
Per Frankelius (Department of Management and Engineering, Linkopings universitet, Linkoping, Sweden)
Lars Witell (Linkopings universitet, Linkoping, Sweden) (Karlstads Universitet, Karlstad, Sweden)

Journal of Service Management

ISSN: 1757-5818

Article publication date: 25 February 2019

1134

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of green service. In particular, the focus is on identifying homopathic and heteropathic resource integration processes that preserve or increase the resourceness of the natural ecosystem.

Design/methodology/approach

Through an extensive multiple case study involving ten service providers from diverse sectors based on a substantial number of interviews, detailed accounts of green service are provided.

Findings

Six resource integration processes were identified: reducing, recirculating, recycling, redistributing, reframing and renewing. While four of these processes are based on homopathic resource integration, both reframing and renewing are based on heteropathic resource integration. While homopathic processes historically constitute a green service by mitigating the impact of consumption on the environment, heteropathic resource integration increases the resourceness of the natural ecosystem through emergent processes and the (re)creation of natural resources.

Research limitations/implications

The present study breaks away from the paradigm that “green service” is about reducing the negative environmental impact of existing services, toward providing a green service that expands biological diversity and other natural resources.

Originality/value

Transformative service research on environmental sustainability is still in its infancy. The present study contributes through conceptualizing green service, redefining existing resource integration processes (reducing, recirculating, recycling) and identifying new resource integration processes (redistributing, reframing, renewing).

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful for the two anonymous reviewers’ insightful suggestions, and the helpful comments and guidance from this Special Issue co-editors and organizers of the QUIS15 conference in Porto, Lia Patrício, Gabriela Beirão and Jorge Grenha Teixeira.

Citation

Guyader, H., Ottosson, M., Frankelius, P. and Witell, L. (2019), "Identifying the resource integration processes of green service", Journal of Service Management, Vol. 31 No. 4, pp. 839-859. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-12-2017-0350

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

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