Improving the Evaluation of Scholarly Work: The Application of Service Theory

This book aims to stimulate debate in the growing and highly controversial area of measuring scholarly work. The authors examine key aspects of this topic through the lens of the latest theoretical developments in service science and associated fields. It includes chapters explaining the theoretical developments and methodological aspects of measuring the quality of academic teaching and research, while other chapters provide a review and analysis of various types of scholarly work metrics and processes with examples from several countries, cultures, and educational systems. The current growing concern about higher education (HE) quality has prompted institutions to divide university teachers’ work into different areas and to design methods aimed at measuring the productivity of these areas. It is widely accepted that the need to evaluate HE service quality is a relevant issue for any society. However, the authors argue that most of the current practices used in the pursuit of this objective are jeopardizing the future of the university as a place of knowledge generation, science evolution and professional education.

Prof. Dr. Evert Gummesson

Evert Gummesson (Ph.D., DHc) is an emeritus professor of Marketing and Management at the Stockholm Business School, Sweden. His research embraces service, relationships, and interaction and research methodology. He was a co-founder of the Service Research (CTF), Karlstad University, the QUIS conference series of service, and in 2009 the prestigious biennial conference series Naples Forum on Service. He has more than 400 publications registered, and his book Total Relationship Marketing is in its 4th edition. The Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK, has listed him as one of the 50 most important contributors to marketing; he has received awards from the American Marketing Association (AMA) and was the first recipient of the Service-Dominant (S-D) Logic Award and the Grönroos Award for Excellence in Service Research. He also has over 25 years of experience as a business and government practitioner.

Prof Dr. Montserrat Díaz-Méndez 

Montserrat Díaz-Méndez is a senior lecturer at the University of Extremadura, Spain, and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Navarra. Her research interests focus is on higher education and professional service management, value co-creation, business ethics and communication.

Prof. Dr. Michael Saren

Michael Saren is a professor of marketing at University of Birmingham and an emeritus professor at Leicester University, UK. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Bath and his research interests include the development of marketing theory, technological innovation, heritage marketing and sustainability.  Prof Saren was a founding editor of the journal Marketing Theory (Sage Publications) and he has written several books and articles about the theoretical underpinnings of marketing.  He is an Associate Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy and he has been awarded an honorary fellowship and lifetime membership of the UK Academy of Marketing.