Refereed article in compilation book (A3)
A Service-Ecosystem Perspective on Value Creation: Implications for International Business
List of Authors: Valtteri Kaartemo, Melissa A. Akaka, Stephen L. Vargo
Editors: Svetla Marinova, Jorma Larimo, Niina Nummela
Publication year: 2017
Book title *: Value Creation in International Business. Volume 2: An SME Perspective
Start page: 131
End page: 149
ISBN: 978-3-319-39368-1
eISBN: 978-3-319-39369-8
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39369-8_6
URL: http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-39369-8_6
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309759209_A_Service-Ecosystem_Perspective_on_Value_Creation_Implications_for_International_Business
In this article, we propose a service-ecosystem perspective to understand how context influences and is influenced by value creation in IB. Earlier, Akaka, Vargo and Lusch (2013) have indicated that a service-ecosystem perspective can potentially aid researchers in understanding international markets in a more comprehensive manner. Thus, we draw on their work to discuss the complexity of context in international markets, and how this can help us to refocus our attention to the relationship between international businesses and the environment within which they are embedded. More specifically, as a contribution to the discussion on value creation in IB, we argue that a service-ecosystem perspective can help develop an understanding of value creation beyond the conceptualization of a value chain. Rather than focusing on differences between systems (e.g. firms and public actors) or markets (e.g., foreign and domestic), we contribute to understanding on how value creation can be interpreted as a part of a complex context.