Revisiting "classic" service research themes in the light of new emerging themes

The question as to why marketing and service scholars increasingly have moved away from important “classic” research themes towards selective “new” themes has numerous answers, many of which may be controversial. However, it is a topic in need of consideration, as the influence of the marketing discipline, which is the home of service marketers, is waning as evidenced by its declining citation count in the journals of other business disciplines. The movement of scholars towards less generalizable “new” topics is one reason these citations are in decline. This chapter suggests that as marketing PhD programs, faculty appointments, and journal editorial decision-making positions are increasingly staffed by those advocating a behavioral science approach to marketing and service theory and research, the discipline is losing its unique position within the business school and among practitioners. The rational offered is that the discipline is losing its focus on what makes it unique as it moves the marketing and service disciplines towards “new” research themes that appear better suited for the behavioral science literature. Examples of “classic” research themes that deserve additional attention yet are being ignored are provided. In addition, the historic drift of the discipline towards its current myopic focus is discussed. This is followed by a prescription to correct the myopic drift of the marketing and services disciplines and literatures away from their traditional management/strategy mainstream central research theme.