E-Service-dominant Logic

Abstract

In this paper we analyze digital services, called e-services, which we expect to dominate the market of services in the not-to-distant future. Beyond the classic scenario of service provision, three scenarios of e-service provision are considered. First, “actor – e-service – actor”, where actors are humans, but e-service is provided remotely through a software platform, e.g., through social media. Second, a scenario, where an e-service is provided by software instead of a human: “software – e-service – actor”. An example of such a scenario is an e-banking website. In this case, the software remains under consumer control. Finally, a scenario where an e-service is provided by a software agent instead of a human or software. A software agent is a program that autonomously performs tasks in a given time and place according to predefined instructions of its owner; hence: “software agent – e-service – actor”. An example of such scenario is a software agent that selects ads in search engines. Such an agent can continuously operate in the background on the consumer's behalf, without the consumer's direct control. In concluding, the consequences of a shift from classical services to digital e-services on the education marketplace are discussed.