Abstract
How does service-based education influence societal sustainability? Beyond product innovation, service innovation has been emerging as a paradigmatic issue for research. Human resource quality is one vital factor for service innovation. Service human capital development (i.e., education), however, has been relatively neglected in research on sustainability. This conceptual article discusses the chain of relationships between service learning and service climate, service innovation, and societal sustainability. In contrary to the widely spread concept of gaining competitive advantages through individual (organizational) service innovation, we emphasize the collaborative advantage that all individuals can construct together by service innovation to achieve sustainability. To achieve such a goal, the education for service human resources by service learning becomes a foundation. With these propositions, this paper contributes by offering possible future research issues, and by stimulating practice and policy discussions.
Highlights
Service industries are becoming the major source of development for global economies [1,2]
Service climate [30,31,32], and social innovation [33,34,35] as chained mediators leading to societal sustainability
Without enhancing the knowledge of employees and managers regarding the significance of service-based social innovation, it will be extremely difficult for an organization to develop the desired service climate
Summary
Service industries are becoming the major source of development for global economies [1,2]. One of the most critical values of service industries is to their ability to offer core or facilitative functionality for sustainability. Knowledge and learning are critical components for high-quality and innovative services development [24,25]. This paper examines the question: how does service-based education influence societal sustainability? We sincerely wish that this seemly preliminary but courageous trial could be supported academically With such a premise, it is critical to unpack the relationship between service learning and social sustainability, by identifying the impacts of their chained mediators. Service climate [30,31,32], and social innovation [33,34,35] as chained mediators leading to societal sustainability.
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