Social Innovation in Smart Tourism Ecosystems: How Technology and Institutions Shape Sustainable Value Co-Creation

Francesco Polese,Massimiliano Vesci,Mara Grimaldi,Antonio Botti,Antonella Monda

doi:10.3390/su10010140

Abstract

In the service era, markets are reconceptualized as systems of actors interconnected through networked relationships based on resources exchange and producing value co-creation. Two of the main contemporary service research theories, Service-dominant logic and Service science, propose different organizational layouts for producing and harmonizing value co-creation: Service ecosystems and smart service systems. However, these two models show some limitations. So, this work aims at drawing an integrated model, the so called Smart service ecosystem that can be applied to hypercompetitive and experience-based sectors. The model was tested in the tourism sector by using a case study methodology. Ten interviews were administered to key informants to analyze their perception about the main dimensions of the smart service ecosystems. By adopting a holistic view, the results obtained can allow the elaboration of a framework which pinpoints: (1) the main stakeholder groups (actors); (2) the kind of resources exchanged (resource integration); (3) the tools employed (technology); (4) the institution exchange among users (institutions). Applying the model obtained to the tourism sector this work explores the main element-steps for managing and optimizing value co-creation and sustainability in the long run and thus for transitioning from innovation to social innovation.

Highlights

In the contemporary service era, markets are reconceptualized as systems of actors interconnected through networked relationships based on resources exchange and producing value co-creation [1,2]
The aim of this work is to integrate Service Systems and Service ecosystems perspectives for rereading tourism as a smart service ecosystem to conceptualize and () empirically detect the main drivers for innovation, value co-creation, and social innovation in an integrated social system view combining: (1) practical features of Service science (SS) and its focus on technology, underrated in Service-Dominant logic (S-D) logic; (2) social implications emphasized in S-D logic
Based on the two research questions proposed above, this work aims at elaborating a framework which pinpoints in the context of Salerno b&b sector: (1) the main stakeholder groups; (2) the kind of resources exchanged; (3) the most common tools employed; (4) the social rules enabling exchange and deriving from exchange

Summary

Introduction

In the contemporary service era, markets are reconceptualized as systems of actors interconnected through networked relationships based on resources exchange and producing value co-creation [1,2]. Service-Dominant logic (S-D logic) [7,8,9] reinterprets theoretically the notions of service and value, whereas other theories such as Service science (SS) [10] aim at providing a practical basis for the application of these new service-oriented foundational concepts. Both frameworks propose the most adequate organizational layouts for producing and harmonizing value co-creation. Progressively redefined as smart service systems to take into account the pervasive impact of ICTs (information and communication technologies) on service delivery and on resources exchange, emphasize the technology role whereas ecosystems better define the social links underlying co-creation and produced at the same time through co-creation itself

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Conclusion