Emergence in marketing: an institutional and ecosystem framework

Stephen L. Vargo (), Linda Peters (), Hans Kjellberg (), Kaisa Koskela-Huotari (), Suvi Nenonen (), Francesco Polese (), Debora Sarno () and Claudia Vaughan ()
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Stephen L. Vargo: University of Hawai’i at Manoa
Linda Peters: University of Nottingham
Hans Kjellberg: Stockholm School of Economics
Kaisa Koskela-Huotari: Stockholm School of Economics
Suvi Nenonen: Stockholm School of Economics
Francesco Polese: University of Salerno
Debora Sarno: Parthenope University of Naples
Claudia Vaughan: University of Hawai’i at Manoa

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2023, vol. 51, issue 1, No 2, 2-22

Abstract: Abstract Many core marketing concepts (e.g., markets, relationships, customer experience, brand meaning, value) concern phenomena that are difficult to understand using linear and dyadic approaches, because they are emergent. That is, they arise, often unpredictably, from interactions within complex and dynamic contexts. This paper contributes to the marketing discipline through an explication of the concept of emergence as it applies to marketing theory. We accomplish this by first drawing on the existing literature on emergence in philosophy, sociology, and the theory of complex adaptive systems, and then link and extend this understanding to marketing using the theoretical framework of service-dominant (S-D) logic, particularly as enhanced by its service-ecosystems and institutionalization perspectives. Our work recognizes both emergence and institutionalization as integral or interrelated processes in the creation, maintenance, and disruption of markets and marketing phenomena. We conclude by discussing implications for marketing research and practice.

Keywords: Emergence; Service-dominant logic; Institutionalization; Complex adaptive systems; Service ecosystems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11747-022-00849-8

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