Advancing service management in the Asia-Pacific amidst an uncertain new world

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Introduction

Service systems are increasingly being reshaped by geopolitical instability and social polarization (Nair & Tripathi, 2026; Paluch et al., 2026), rapid technological transformation (Noble et al., 2022), and growing sustainability pressures (Field et al., 2021), creating profound implications for service quality, customer experiences, organisational resilience, and global business practices. At the same time, emerging technologies such as agentic AI, automation, and intelligent service systems are transforming how organisations design, deliver, and manage services across industries (Wirtz &  Stock-Homburg, 2025). In parallel, organisations must navigate evolving economic conditions, globalisation challenges, workforce dynamics, and changing stakeholder expectations by transforming their quality management practices to maintain service excellence and long-term sustainability (Malikah et al., 2025). 

This special issue seeks to advance scholarly understanding of contemporary challenges and opportunities in quality and service sciences within complex and uncertain environments in the Asia-Pacific service context. This special issue is particularly relevant for the Asia-Pacific region because the region sits at the intersection of rapid economic growth, geopolitical complexity, digital transformation, and sustainability vulnerability. Given the regional importance of more resilient and inclusive service systems, the special issue aims to synthesise and extend current knowledge on macro- and micro-environmental business factors affecting services, including geopolitical instability, agentic AI, sustainability, globalisation, and organisational psychology in service management in the Asia-Pacific region. This special issue, along with its themes and regional and contextual focus, is linked to the SEIGOP 2027 Conference which will be held at James Cook University (Singapore Campus). 

List of Topic Areas

The special issue will address a broad range of contemporary and emerging topics at the intersection of service management, technological transformation, and global uncertainty in the Asia-Pacific service context. Indicative themes include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Geopolitical instability, service resilience, and risk management in service ecosystems in the Asia-Pacific
• Agentic AI, autonomous systems, and intelligent redesigning of service experiences
• Digital transformation and the reconfiguration of service quality, customer experience, and operational models
• Economic volatility, globalisation, and their implications for service management and organisational performance in the Asia-Pacific
• Organisational psychology, employee experience, and workforce adaptation in AI-enabled service environments
• Cross-cultural perspectives on service delivery, consumption, and customer behaviour in fragmented economies in the Asia-Pacific
• Measurement, evaluation, and new methodological approaches for studying complex, technology-enabled service systems.

Guest Editors 

Nurhafihz Noor, James Cook University (Singapore Campus), Singapore, [email protected]

Tan Kim Lim, James Cook University (Singapore Campus), Singapore, [email protected]

Zahirah Zainol, Curtin Singapore, Singapore, [email protected] 

Submissions Information

Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Author guidelines must be strictly followed.

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Author Guidelines

Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to “Please select the issue you are submitting to”. Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.

Key Deadlines

Opening date for manuscripts submissions: 1st September 2027

Closing date for manuscripts submission: 31st December 2027