Purpose

Service managers increasingly strive to achieve sustainability through strategies centered on circularity. With a focus on saving, extending and (re)generating resources and their enclosing service systems, circularity can contribute to environmental, social and financial gains. Yet, the notion of circularity is surprisingly understudied in service research. This article seeks to provide an initial conceptual understanding of circular service management, introducing illustrative strategies and research priorities for circular service management. This paper provides a roadmap for scholars, practitioners and policymakers to develop a deeper understanding of the opportunities from adopting circular services.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors explore the concept of circular service management by drawing upon existing literature on sustainability, circularity and service research. Strategies of circular service management and research priorities emerge on the basis of industry best practice examples and research on sustainability challenges and opportunities.

Findings

Service researchers have largely ignored the concept and role of circularity for service businesses. Extant research on the topic nearly exclusively features in non-service journals and/or does not seek to advance service theory through circularity. This article argues that circular service management enables the implementation of service thinking in the pursuit of sustainability and outlines four types of circular service management strategies.

Originality/value

The authors introduce the concept of circular service management and highlight the role of service research for designing and managing circular systems and operations. This article also offers a research agenda connecting managerial challenges and opportunities with key service research priorities for circular service management. This provides a roadmap for scholars, practitioners and policymakers to develop a deeper understanding of pursuing circular services, thereby contributing to a more sustainable future.

中文翻译：

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循环服务管理：实现概念理解和服务研究优先事项，以实现更可持续的未来

目的

服务管理者越来越努力通过以循环为中心的战略来实现可持续发展。循环性侧重于节约、扩展和（重新）生成资源及其封闭的服务系统，可以为环境、社会和财务收益做出贡献。然而，令人惊讶的是，循环性概念在服务研究中却没有得到充分研究。本文旨在提供对循环服务管理的初步概念理解，介绍循环服务管理的说明性策略和研究重点。本文为学者、从业者和政策制定者提供了一个路线图，帮助他们更深入地了解采用循环服务带来的机遇。

设计/方法论/途径

作者利用有关可持续性、循环性和服务研究的现有文献，探讨了循环服务管理的概念。循环服务管理策略和研究优先事项是在行业最佳实践示例以及对可持续发展挑战和机遇的研究的基础上出现的。

发现

服务研究人员在很大程度上忽视了循环性对服务企业的概念和作用。关于该主题的现有研究几乎全部出现在非服务期刊中和/或并不寻求通过循环来推进服务理论。本文认为循环服务管理能够实现服务思维以追求可持续性，并概述了四种类型的循环服务管理策略。

原创性/价值

作者介绍了循环服务管理的概念，并强调了服务研究在设计和管理循环系统和运营方面的作用。本文还提供了一个研究议程，将管理挑战和机遇与循环服务管理的关键服务研究优先事项联系起来。这为学者、从业者和政策制定者提供了一个路线图，让他们对追求循环服务有更深入的了解，从而为更加可持续的未来做出贡献。