A literature review of service research since 1993

Abstract

The history of any field of study is an important topic, but few authors have taken on the task of writing the history of service research since the early 1990s. We attempt to fill this gap by providing a comprehensive account on the general course of the service literature from 1993 to now. We propose an extension of the evolutionary metaphor originally proposed by Fisk et al. (1993). Drawing on an extensive multidisciplinary literature, we paint a portrait of the evolution of the service literature over three new stages termed Racing Ahead (1993–1999), Looking Back and Moving Forward (2000–2003), and Airborne (2004–Now). Within each era, we first identify key observations that make it distinguishable from the other stages, and then specifically highlight the major contributions that were made. We also underscore and provide some recommendations for further consideration by interested thinkers in the field for moving it forward.