---
res:
  bibo_abstract:
  - Service research has evolved into an interdisciplinary research field that bridges
    diverse disciplines, including information systems (IS) and marketing. Nearly
    two decades ago, the service system concept was introduced as a foundational abstraction
    in service research, drawing on ideas from the service-dominant logic (S-D logic)
    of marketing. Despite its widespread adoption in service research, particularly
    in the IS discipline, the service system concept lacks a solid theoretical foundation.
    This has resulted in conceptual ambiguity and overlap with related constructs,
    such as service ecosystems. Moreover, it has largely remained a static analytical
    lens, insufficiently capturing dynamic service phenomena, including value co-creation
    and co-destruction, as well as the emergence of institutional arrangements. To
    address these limitations, we propose Luhmann’s systems theory (LST) as a robust
    framework for conceptualizing service systems as autopoietic (self-creating) systems,
    in which communication serves as the fundamental mechanism that drives value co-creation.
    We derive five theoretical propositions from this re-conceptualization that clarify
    conceptual ambiguity and allow researchers to explore dynamic service phenomena
    in greater depth. Given LST’s general approach, our conceptualization provides
    a theoretically grounded, interdisciplinary foundation for advancing service research.@eng
  bibo_authorlist:
  - foaf_Person:
      foaf_givenName: Daniel
      foaf_name: Beverungen, Daniel
      foaf_surname: Beverungen
  - foaf_Person:
      foaf_givenName: Jens
      foaf_name: Poeppelbuss, Jens
      foaf_surname: Poeppelbuss
  - foaf_Person:
      foaf_givenName: Simon
      foaf_name: Hemmrich, Simon
      foaf_surname: Hemmrich
  - foaf_Person:
      foaf_givenName: Taskeen
      foaf_name: Iqbal, Taskeen
      foaf_surname: Iqbal
  bibo_doi: 10.1007/s12525-026-00889-w
  bibo_issue: '1'
  bibo_volume: 36
  dct_date: 2026^xs_gYear
  dct_isPartOf:
  - http://id.crossref.org/issn/1019-6781
  - http://id.crossref.org/issn/1422-8890
  dct_language: eng
  dct_publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC@
  dct_subject:
  - Service system
  - Service ecosystem
  - Systems theory
  - Service research
  dct_title: Service through communication—Conceptualizing service systems with Luhmann’s
    systems theory@
...