Why "service"?

Service-dominant logic appears to have found resonance in the marketing community since its introduction as the evolving, "new dominant logic" in the Journal of Marketing (Vargo and Lusch 2004a, Journal of Marketing, 68, 1 - 17 (January)). But, on occasion, so has the question of whether the concept "service" captures the essence of the new logic. This article addresses the role of "service" as the heart of value-creation, exchange, markets, and marketing, as well as its considerable implications for research, practice, societal well-being, and public policy. The purposes are both to clarify the issues and to foster the continuing dialog around the service-dominant logic for marketing, as well as for other disciplines.