Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Palgrave
Handbook
of Servitization
Editors
Marko Kohtamäki Tim Baines
School of Management Aston Business School
University of Vaasa Aston University
Vaasa, Finland Birmingham, UK
Vinit Parida
Department of Business Administration
Luleå University of Technology
Luleå, Sweden
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Contents
v
vi Contents
Servitization Process
Viewing Servitization Through a Practice-Theoretical Lens 231
Katja Maria Hydle and Marko Kohtamäki
Microfoundations of Servitization: An Individual-Level
Perspective 247
Wim Coreynen
Contents vii
Index 539
Notes on Contributors
ix
x Notes on Contributors
and recently also data science. His work has been published in journals such as
Industrial Marketing Management (IMM), the International Journal of Produc-
tion Research (IJPR), and Journal for Business Research (JBR) as well as books
such as Practices and Tools for Servitization: Managing Service Transition.
Philip Davies is a Lecturer in Operations Management at Henley Busi-
ness School, University of Reading after completing his Ph.D. in Operations
Management at the University of Warwick in 2018. He previously worked as
a design engineer for various companies and worked in a range of industries
including automotive, aerospace, fashion, medical, television, and film. His
research focus includes service operations management, service design, service
modularity, servitization and digitalization of manufacturing and service orga-
nizations with emphasis placed on additive manufacturing and the Internet
of Things.
Ibon Gil de San Vicente holds a Degree in Economics from the Univer-
sity of the Basque Country. Following this he continued his studies with
a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Kent
(UK) and a master’s degree in Business Innovation from the University of
Deusto. Since 2006 he has worked at Orkestra-Basque Institute of Competi-
tiveness where he has had a number of responsibilities, primarily in the area
of general and project management, communication, and institutional rela-
tions. Before joining Orkestra he developed his career in different financial
entities, where he assumed responsibilities linked to commercial banking and
risk management.
Suvi Einola (Ph.D.) works as an Assistant Professor at the University of
Vaasa. Before joining the academia, Suvi worked in the public sector for
fifteen years in managerial, management, training, and development posi-
tions. She has facilitated strategy workshops in different types of organiza-
tions over ten years and has been in charge of managerial training for a
medium-sized city organization for five years. In her research, Einola has
focused on strategic practices and the challenges of servitization in both public
and private sectors. Her research has been published in scientific journals and
books in both the public sector and industrial marketing.
Dr. Thomas Frandsen is an Associate Professor at the Department of Oper-
ations Management, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark. He is co-
principal investigator on the collaborative research project Driving compet-
itiveness through servitization which focuses on service strategies in Danish
industrial firms. His current research interests are in the area of service
operations management, service architecture and modularity, servitization,
Notes on Contributors xiii
Bristol and Bath region. Her work now focusses on value creation and service
ecosystems.
Tuomas Huikkola is an Assistant Professor at the School of Management
at the University of Vaasa. His special interest is in digital servitization
and incumbent firm’s strategic change. He has published in a number of
journals, including Industrial Marketing Management, Research-Technology
Management, and Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing.
Katja Maria Hydle works as an Associate Professor at the University of
Oslo, Department of Informatics and serves as a Research Professor at
NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS. She holds a Ph.D. in Strategic
Management from BI Norwegian Business School and an M.A. in European
Politics and Administration from College of Europe. Hydle’s research inter-
ests include digital transformation, ecosystems, and platformization with a
focus on servitization, collaborative business practices, and strategizing. Her
work has appeared in journals such as Organization Studies, Human Relations,
Journal of World Business, and Management Learning.
Anmar Kamalaldin is a Ph.D. candidate in entrepreneurship and inno-
vation at Luleå University of Technology (Sweden). His research focuses
on business-to-business relationships and innovation ecosystems in digital
servitization context.
Bart Kamp is a Principal Investigator in the focus area of Business Inter-
nationalization and Servitization at Orkestra-Institute of Basque Competi-
tiveness. His research focuses on competitive strategies that enable firms to
be leaders in their niches on the international market and on servitization
processes among manufacturing firms. With over 25 years of professional
experience, Bart has held positions as a researcher and advisor in fields like:
innovation policies, industrial competitiveness, foreign investment attraction,
and business development. Bart has authored many articles and edited several
books on these subjects. His work has been published in Dutch, English,
Spanish, Basque, Portuguese, and Japanese. He has rendered services to multi-
lateral institutions, governmental organizations, SMEs, and multinationals
from Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Portugal,
Spain, Romania, Lithuania, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia. Apart from
his work at Orkestra, he teaches at Deusto Business School (Spain) and the
Louvain School of Management (Belgium).
Marko Kohtamäki is a Professor of Strategy, and a director of the “Strategic
Business Development” (SBD) research group at the University of Vaasa, a
Visiting Professor at Luleå University of Technology and University of South-
Eastern Norway, and as a Docent at University of Oulu. Prof. Kohtamäki
Notes on Contributors xv
industry, where she completed two more projects in the topic project manage-
ment and digitalization as a part of her master’s degree. Anet is currently
working as a Junior Project Consultant where she is responsible for carrying
out operative project management for an R&D Project. When she is not
working, she can be found traveling around the world, trying new cuisines.
Unless, we are mid-pandemic—then you can find her trying new cuisines in
her own kitchen.
Prof. Dr. Paul Matthyssens is a Professor of Global Business and Global
Marketing at the University of Milano-Bicocca Department of Economics,
Quantitative Methods, and Business Strategy. He teaches Strategic Manage-
ment at the University of Antwerp (Department of Management) and
Antwerp Management School (AMS). He has published in academic jour-
nals such as Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Management Studies,
Strategic Organization, Long Range Planning, Technovation, Journal of Busi-
ness & Industrial Marketing, Psychology & Marketing, International Marketing
Review, Journal of Engineering & Technology Management, International
Journal of Production Research and Journal of Purchasing & Supply Manage-
ment. His research interests include business and industrial marketing, value
innovation, servitization, global strategy, industry transformation, business
modeling, ecosystems, and purchasing strategy. Matthyssens is a member of
the Strategy Council to the Board of the European top research institute
VITO (2017-now).
Frederik Möller is a Chief Engineer at the Chair for Industrial Information
Management at TU Dortmund University. He holds a Masters’s degree in
Industrial Engineering, and his research focuses on design theory, business
models, and Logistics.
Khadijeh Momeni received a Ph.D. degree in business and technology
management from Tampere University. She currently works as a postdoctoral
research fellow at the Department of Industrial Engineering and Manage-
ment, Tampere University. Her current research interests include managing
industrial service business and digital servitization of manufacturing firms.
Max Niemann studies industrial engineering at TU Dortmund University
and works as a student assistant in the field of maintenance and service
management at the Chair of Enterprise Logistics at the faculty of Mechanical
Engineering of TU Dortmund University.
Rogelio Oliva is the Bob and Kelly Jordan Professor of Business in the
Department of Information and Operations Management at Mays Business
School, Adjunct Professor at the Zaragoza Logistics Center, and Research
xviii Notes on Contributors
Affiliate at MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics. His research explores
how behavioral and social aspects of an organization interact with its tech-
nical components to determine the firm’s operational performance. His
current research interests include behavioral operations management, retail
and service operations, and the transition that product manufacturers are
making to become service providers. His research work has been published
in several academic journals, among them: Management Science, Organiza-
tion Science, Journal of Operations Management, Production and Operations
Management, and California Management Review. He is the recipient of the
2019 Jay W. Forrester Award for the best written contribution to the System
Dynamics field in the preceding five years.
Mădălina Pană is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Technology,
Management and Economics, Technical University of Denmark (DTU
Management). Her research focuses on the organizational transition to servi-
tization with a specific focus on employee management.
Vinit Parida is a Chaired Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
at Luleå University of Technology. His researches subjects are about how
companies can evolve their business to higher profitability with digitalization
through servitization and business model innovation in collaboration with
leading companies in different industrial sectors. The research work involves
cooperation with large companies like ABB, Billerudkorsnäs, Boliden, Epiroc,
Ericsson, Gestamp HardTech, IBM, Komatsu Forest, Lindbäcks, Metso,
Sandvik Coromant, SCA, Scania, Volvo Cars, and Volvo Construction Equip-
ment. His research results has been published in 200+ leading international
peer-reviewed journals, conferences, book chapters, and industry/popular
publications. Such as Strategic Management Journal , Journal of Management
Studies, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of Product Innovation
Management, California Management Review, Long Range Planning, Industrial
Marketing Management, Journal of Business Research, International Journal of
Production Economics, Production and Operation Management, International
Journal of Operations & Production Management, Strategic Entrepreneurship
Journal , Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, Journal of Small Busi-
ness Management, and Journal of Cleaner Production. He is active within
different academic communities and has presented research results in well-
known international conferences, such as Babson College Enterprise Research
Conference, Research in Entrepreneurship and Small Business (RENT), The
Annual ICSB World Conference, International Conference on Management of
Technology (IAMOT), International Product Development Management Confer-
ence, and CRIP IPSS Conference. Associate Editor of Journal of Business
Notes on Contributors xix
the implementation of new business models and how that affects the whole
business ecosystems as well as how to secure that economic, environmental,
and social value is generated. The circular economy research is well aligned
with the industrial symbiosis concept and is of great value when combines
with business model thinking. The results of her work have been published in
over 20 leading international peer-reviewed journals, conferences, book chap-
ters, and industry/popular publications., such as Journal of Cleaner Produc-
tion, International Journal of Production and Operations Management, and
Industrial Marketing Management.
Eugen Rodel holds a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree from
Charles Sturt University in Australia. With respect to this, he studied Busi-
ness Models and the transition of capital goods companies from manufac-
turers to service providers. After graduation as a Master of Engineering (Old
Dominion University, USA), he worked as a Research Engineer for a start-
up in the telecommunication industry. Subsequently, he received an Exec-
utive M.B.A. degree (Bern University of Applied Science, Switzerland) and
held the position of product manager in the industrial goods sector. Today
he works as an independent consultant and researcher. His areas of interest
include Digital Transformation, Innovation, and Visual Thinking. Moreover,
he is very tech-savvy and thus enthusiastic for information and communica-
tion technology, especially the topics Computer Programming and Artificial
Intelligence.
María Alejandra Rodríguez is a master candidate in Economics and Indus-
trial Development at Universidad Nacional General Sarmiento in Argentina.
She is an assistant professor of Strategic Management and junior researcher
of the Research Group on Development, Innovation, and Competitiveness at
the National Technological University in Argentina. Her research interests are
in digital servitization, strategic management, and intellectual property.
Nicola Saccani is an Associate Professor at the Department of Industrial
and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Brescia (Italy), where he
is part of the RISE laboratory (Research and Innovation for Smart Enter-
prise, www.rise.it). He is a member and past coordinator of the ASAP Service
Management Forum. His research activities concern service and supply chain
management, with particular reference to the impact of phenomena such as
the digital transformation, servitization, and circular economy on business
models, supply chain configuration and operations management. He is the
author of several scientific publications in such fields. He has also taken part
to several company transfer projects on such topics.
xxii Notes on Contributors
allowed him to gain and build expertise in various fields. When he is not
researching and working, he can be found up to 70 meters underwater in the
cold lakes of Switzerland.
Prof. Vicky M. Story is a Professor of Marketing at the School of Business
and Economics, Loughborough University, United Kingdom. Her primary
research interests lie in the fields of fields of marketing strategy, innovation
and services, including entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance,
radical innovation, servitization, including capabilities and network implica-
tions. She has published on these issues in such journals as: Journal of Product
Innovation Management; Journal of Business Venturing; Industrial Marketing
Management; and International Journal of Operations and Production Manage-
ment. She received her Ph.D. in marketing from Loughborough University
in 1998.
Bieke Struyf is a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Antwerp and
researcher at the Antwerp Management School. She obtained her master’s
degree in Applied Economics at the KU Leuven and is currently part of
the multidisciplinary team surrounding FWO-project Paradigms 4.0 which
investigates how manufacturing companies can implement Industry 4.0 tech-
nology in a sustainable manner. As a Ph.D. Candidate, she focuses on
the identification of value-creating strategies, barriers, and critical success
factors which contribute to effective digital transformation. She does so under
the supervision of Prof. Dr. Paul Matthyssens. Mainly qualitative research
methods are used in her multilevel and multidisciplinary research of trans-
formation processes which investigate the impact on and mobilization of
individual employees, the organization, and its surrounding ecosystem.
Viktor Sundholm main interest is in industrial business development, and
has been involved in several research projects and consulting assignments in
this area. The Ph.D. research (in final phase) has been based on solution
business strategy and value-based selling. Currently, Mr. Sundholm is mainly
involved in teaching through the FITech Network University and in Finland’s
leading ecosystem on digitalizing the manufacturing industry, REBOOT IoT
Factory.
Tinhinane Tazaïrt is a Ph.D. candidate in Management Sciences and a
Member of the Coactis research center at Lumière Lyon 2 University, where
she also teaches strategic marketing. Her Ph.D. research is funded by the
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (AURA) district. Her research interests are in the
areas of servitization and digitalization, with a focus on performance issues
in servitized industrial SMEs that attempt to digitalize their servitization.
xxiv Notes on Contributors
industrial firms to develop and deliver new services and service-friendly busi-
ness models. He is a member of the advisory board for ASAP Service Manage-
ment Forum and a member of the Swiss Alliance of Data-Intensives Services.
He lives close to Zurich with his wife and two children. He climbs, skis and
runs.
Lars Witell is a Professor of Marketing at Linköping University, Sweden
and holds a position as Professor of Service Research at the CTF-Service
Research Center at Karlstad University in Sweden. His research interests
concern service innovation, service infusion, and customer experience. We do
research with major Swedish firms such as Volvo and IKEA. He has published
about 75 papers in scholarly journals such as Journal of Service Research, Inter-
national Journal of Operations and Production Management, Journal of Service
Management, and Industrial Marketing Management. He is also an Associate
Editor for Journal of Business Research and Journal of Services Marketing.
Dr. Judy Zolkiewski is a Professor in Marketing at Alliance Manchester
Business School. Before becoming an academic she worked for 15 years in
the industrial controls industry. She received her Ph.D. in 1999 from UMIST
and has worked at Manchester since then, initially at Manchester School of
Management (UMIST) and, following the merger of UMIST and University
of Manchester, at AMBS. Her research interests are focused on understanding
business markets, relationships and networks both in the traditional manu-
facturing and engineering industries and in the evolving business-to-business
services sector with specific focus on relationship and network dynamics,
servitization, strategy, and technology. Her current research projects focus on
the processes underpinning relationships and networks and the transforma-
tions that are needed for manufacturers to successfully deliver services. She
has been heavily involved in knowledge transfer projects and has published
in Journal of Business Research, European Journal of Marketing, Industrial
Marketing Management, International Journal of Operations & Production
Management, International Journal of Production Economics, Journal of Services
Marketing, the Journal of Marketing Management, and Journal of Business &
Industrial Marketing.
Wenting Zou is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Industrial Engi-
neering and Management (DIEM) at Aalto University in Finland. From
June 2016 to the 2021, she has been dedicated to doctoral research on
managing service contracting in buyer-supplier collaboration. She has been
published her doctoral work in International Journal of Operations and Produc-
tion Management as the first author. She was awarded the scholarship for
xxvi Notes on Contributors
the first refereed article at the doctoral program in Science at Aalto Univer-
sity in 2018. She has reviewed papers for International Journal of Operations
& Production Management, and Journal of Purchasing and Supply Manage-
ment. She is due to graduate in Spring 2021. Now she lives in Canton of
Zurich with her husband and son. She likes traveling, swimming, running,
and playing cards (e.g., Swiss Jass).
List of Figures
xxvii
xxviii List of Figures
xxxiii
xxxiv List of Tables
1 Introduction
Manufacturers have shifted their focus from products to smart solutions in
the search for higher returns and additional growth opportunities (Lightfoot
et al., 2013; Matthyssens & Vandenbempt, 2008; Rabetino et al., 2015).
This shift, described as servitization (Vandermerwe & Rada, 1988) or later as
digital servitization (Coreynen et al., 2017; Kohtamäki, Parida et al., 2019), is
a lengthy and complex process for which positive outcomes cannot be guaran-
teed (Gebauer et al., 2005; Oliva & Kallenberg, 2003). The present chapter
consolidates contemporary research on servitization and sheds light on the
structure and relevant concepts in this multidisciplinary field (Rabetino et al.,
2018).
Servitization—the shift from a product-centric to a service-centric business
model and logic (Kowalkowski, Gebauer, Kamp, & Parry, 2017)—represents
a powerful growth engine for firms seeking to expand beyond their traditional
product core. Examples include both traditional machine manufacturers and
software companies that have shifted to cloud-based subscription models.
Today, servitization has become a flourishing and active research domain,
attracting interest from a wide range of disciplines, including marketing,
operations, engineering management, service management, and environ-
mental research (Rabetino et al., 2018; Raddats et al., 2019).
Whereas managers generally agree that they must move into services,
empirical research suggests mixed outcomes from such transformations. The
link between servitization and performance has been demonstrated to be
potentially nonlinear and complex (Fang et al., 2008; Kohtamäki, Parida
et al., 2020; Kohtamäki et al., 2013). Frequently, failures have been argued
to emerge from poor implementation, lack of required capabilities, poorly
executed processes, organizational tensions, and other factors (Lenka et al.,
2018; Martinez et al., 2017; Parida et al., 2014; Visnjic Kastalli et al., 2013).
Recent studies highlight the important role of digitalization in ensuring prof-
itable servitization (Cenamor et al., 2017; Lenka et al., 2017). This interplay
between digitalization and servitization has been captured under the term
“digital servitization,” which emphasizes value creation through the interplay
between products, services, and software (Kohtamäki, Parida et al., 2019;
Porter & Heppelmann, 2014) and represents an important future research
stream in the servitization literature.
This chapter provides an overview of the changing landscape of servitiza-
tion research, including the transformation process, business model content,
and context with various contingencies (Kohtamäki, Henneberg et al., 2019).
R. Oliva
Mays Business School, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
e-mail: roliva@tamu.edu
V. Parida
Department of Business Administration, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå,
Sweden
e-mail: vinit.parida@ltu.se
Theoretical Landscape in Servitization 3
Table 1 (continued)
Study Concept Definition
Kohtamäki, Parida et al. Digital servitization The transition toward
(2019) smart solutions
(product-service-software
systems) that enable
value creation and
capture through
monitoring, control,
optimization, and
autonomous function.
Digital servitization
emphasizes value
creation through the
interplay between
products, services, and
software
see emerging currently. Studies have called for the concept of digital serviti-
zation to emphasize the role of software as the core of novel product-service
systems, so-called product-service-software systems (Coreynen et al., 2017;
Kohtamäki, Parida et al., 2019). These offerings and the interplay between
products, services, and, more recently, software modules are central to the
servitization literature (Cenamor et al., 2017). Manufacturers engage in a
both-and game, where they must accept various paradoxical tensions that
emerge due to the simultaneous engagements in product, service, and soft-
ware development, lifecycle, and upgrading cycles (Kohtamäki, Einola, &
Rabetino, 2020; Lenka et al., 2018). Such product, service, and software
offerings have played an important role in servitization research, where offer-
ings are often used as an obvious indicator of strategy and value proposition
(Kohtamäki et al., 2013; Rabetino et al., 2015).
Servitization studies have incorporated the concepts of product-service
systems (Reim et al., 2015), customer solutions, integrated solutions, services
supporting the product (SSP), and services supporting the customer (SSC)
(Mathieu, 2001), to name a few. It is important to remember that, from
the infancy of servitization, the data-related software element has been part
of the servitization literature (Vandermerwe & Rada, 1988). Vandermerwe
and Rada (1988), in their seminal piece, emphasized the interplay between
goods, services, and information (cf. Page and Siemplenski’s [1983] concept
of product systems marketing). The connection, integration, or bundling
between products, services, and software can be seen as one of the central
elements in the servitization literature—yet, the dynamics related to oper-
ational integration have not been discussed in great detail. For instance,
6 M. Kohtamäki et al.
Rabetino et al. (2015) argue in their empirical study that it is the product
lifecycle that enables intuitive integration of products and services. Similarly,
Cenamor et al. (2017) discuss how advanced service offerings by manufac-
turing firms would require viewing software or information modules as a core
around which different product and service modules are integrated to effi-
ciently create a customized solution for customers. Practical examples of such
offerings can include fleet solutions, site optimizations, or even autonomous
solutions, as offered by manufacturing firms. Thus, further attention to
software elements is central to adapting servitization in the current digital
age.
Figure 1 shows the yearly number of scientific journal articles and citations
from 1988 to 2020 in the field of servitization, totaling 726 servitization
studies across all disciplines and journals included in Scopus. Based on the
figures, we can see a sharp increase in the number of published articles, which
increased from 13 papers per year before 2010 to 152 articles per year by
3500 160
140
3000
120
2500
Number of citaƟons
Number of arƟcles
100
2000
80
1500
60
1000
40
500
20
0 0
1988
2014
1991
2002
2005
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
Year
CitaƟons ArƟcles
Fig. 1 Increase in the number of articles and citations per year from 1988 to 2020
Theoretical Landscape in Servitization 7
2020. Indeed, the publication rate has doubled every three years, and 93%
of the articles have been published since 2010 (93%).
Similarly, the yellow curve demonstrates the increase in citations per paper
published in servitization per year. The papers published in 2017 received
2,921 citations until the end of 2020 (yellow line). As it takes time for papers
to gather citations, the citation count of 2017 provides a better picture of the
progress than 2018 or later, after which the papers have had much less time to
collect citations. Overall, Fig. 1 demonstrates the drastic increase in published
papers and paper citations, depicting the increase in servitization during the
past years.
Next, Fig. 2 describes the current structure of the servitization field based
on a cocitation analysis and VOSviewer software, with the data of 726 studies.
Author cocitation analysis considers the number of times each pair of authors
has been cocited in the studied data (Zupic & Čater, 2015), as cocited authors
often share similar ideas. In the figure, color indicates the cluster, the size of
coreynen,w
luoto, s busƟnza, o
schroeder,a
cusumano,m bigdeli, a
maƩhyssens,p
porter,m
perona, m
eggert,a zhang,m
gustafsson, a eisenhardt,k
yin,r
fang,e
edvardsson,b johnson,m
friedli, t
lusch,r
peppard,j
brady,t
Servitization
Customer solutions
PSS
Service operations
the circle signals the number of citations (larger circle means a higher number
of citations), closer location between authors means that the authors are often
cocited, and the 500 most frequently cocited pairs of authors are indicated
by lines.
Based on the analysis, we found four clusters: (1) customer solutions,
(2) servitization, (3) product-service systems (PSS), and (4) service oper-
ations. The red cluster involves customer solutions, integrated solutions,
service logic and services-dominant logic, value cocreation, and related liter-
ature. Most of these studies are within marketing, although scholars such
as Brady and Davies are within innovation management. The blue cluster
includes management-oriented servitization studies, strategy, structure, inno-
vation, and digital servitization papers. The green cluster is a PSS-oriented
stream with strong engineering emphasis and involves sustainability-oriented
writings in servitization. Finally, the yellow group is oriented toward service
operations and service technologies, including the service science approach.
Understandably, the borders between clusters are blurry and there are
boundary spanners, which are located at the intersections of different
communities, such as Kowalkowski, Gebauer, Baines, or Lightfoot. Reasons
include cross-disciplinary publishing and the use of different terminology.
The customer solutions, servitization, PSS, and service operations clusters in
Fig. 2 seem consistent when compared with other reviews (Rabetino et al.,
2018). These streams also consist of smaller substreams, which can be recog-
nized by looking at the most cited authors in any location of the picture and
their publications over the years.
Customers
Business
Maintenance
Services
Strategy
servitization literature, for instance, by the service infusion concept, the tran-
sition toward service logic. The third cluster, business, captures the concepts
around value, capabilities, organization, structure, logic, learning, and inter-
actions. Many of these concepts interact with customers and strategy and
link to other concepts around different forms of value creation, which are
undoubtedly relevant to the servitization literature. Fourth, the concept
strategy involves servitization, business models, transition, change, digital,
effects, and success—all typical concepts from strategy-related servitization
studies. Finally, the fifth cluster involves maintenance-related concepts linked
to operations, equipment, production, control, efficiency, available, spare,
capacity, software, repair, and online. These concepts focus on operations and
service technologies. The five clusters of concepts reveal the typical themes
and concepts covered in servitization research. The picture is not complete
because it includes only the most typical concepts.
settings. In what follows, we describe in more detail the focus of the research
found under the themes.
He drew in to the left bank and let the lock fill up. The rain, which had
been savage and relentless while they were on the river, was abating now
they were within easy reach of shelter; the intervals between the peals of
thunder were lengthening, and, most noticeable of all, the terrible
oppression was relieved. Melville hooked the boat on to the stakes below
the lock and backed her gently up the stream until he came to a spot where
they could land easily.
She raised herself on one arm and looked round. Hopelessness stared
from her large eyes, but Melville saw with relief that the insane terror had
departed from them; he was anxious to get her into the train without
exciting remark, and it was something that she had regained her self-
control. That her frock was dripping wet and stained red from the cushions
would not attract attention here where everyone was wet, and before they
reached Waterloo she would not look so deplorable, however cold and
uncomfortable she might feel.
"We won't go through the lock," he said. "I'm going to pay the man for
the boat and say he'll find her here. Pull yourself together as much as you
can before I come back. If we are quick I think we can just catch a train,
and we shall get away before all the people get out of the lock and crowd up
the station. Do you feel better now?"
"I can depend upon you until we get home?" he asked, with some
anxiety.
She nodded a vacant assent, and with that he had to be satisfied. He got
out of the boat and went to the lock to pay for its hire and tell the man
where to find it. Meantime, Lavender, realising that whatever the future
might have in store for her, no good could be done by a scene at St. Martin's
Lock, made an effort to pull herself together, and tried to readjust her
bedraggled costume. With one of the napkins from the hamper she dried her
face and hands, and wringing some of the water from her skirts and rubbing
her patent shoes, she succeeded in making herself a little more presentable.
Melville was pleased. They hurried to the station and were fortunate enough
to catch an up train and secure an empty carriage.
But as soon as the train moved away his manner changed. Even if they
were left alone during the whole journey they only had fifty-five minutes in
which to arrive at an understanding, for he was quite clear he could not go
back with her to The Vale. He took the corner seat immediately opposite to
her.
It was obvious to Melville that she was frightened of him, and he was
content that it should be so, for only by terrorising her could he hope to
maintain his ascendency over her; any woman might be nervous at being
shut up in a railway carriage with a murderer, but it was not of that
precisely that she was afraid, for she stood in no fear of violence at his
hands. There was something despotic about him that compelled obedience,
and even if she had not been naturally as truthful as she was she would not
have attempted to prevaricate.
"Now tell me," Melville rapped out in the same peremptory way, "did
you hear what we were saying in that room?"
"Some of it," she replied; "enough, at any rate, to know what you have
been doing to get money."
"You don't know what my position was," Melville said. "You remember
my leaving Monte Carlo—ruined?" Lavender nodded. "I went down to see
my uncle a few days after I got home and he refused to help me. I don't
know why. He had always been lavish to my brother, and had never refused
me anything before. I was in absolute need of shillings, and had to get them
somehow. After I heard of your marriage with him, I told him I knew and
got something from him."
"But you got it on the ground that I was in need of it," she said
indignantly.
"It was an outrage," she said, with suppressed passion. "I resent that as
much as anything else. After all the years I never touched a penny of his
money for you to tell him I was starving and pocket the money for yourself
is a thing you can't expect me not to be mad about."
Her eyes blazed from her white face, and Melville grew apprehensive.
"What do you think Sir Geoffrey's answer was?" he asked.
"What?"
"He gave me ten pounds as an act of charity, and said if you needed any
more you could apply to the people you'd been living with all those years.
So you see, if you had been starving, you need not have looked for much
help from him."
A flush shot over her neck and cheeks and ebbed again.
"It only makes it worse that your villainy provoked such a message—
such a gratuitous affront. Oh, what an incredible fool I have been! But I am
beginning to see you in your true colours now."
Melville looked at her, shading his eyes with his hand; it might not be
so easy to silence her after all.
"How can I say?" she protested. "I must have time. I can't even think
yet."
"You must think," he retorted curtly. "You must make up your mind
between this and Waterloo, and stick to it afterwards."
"I can't," she repeated. "What's more, I won't try." Her thoughts flashed
back from themselves to the dead man. "Why did you do it?" she sobbed.
"Why, in the name of heaven, did you do it?"
"Only the devil knows," he groaned; but the train was travelling rapidly,
and this was no time for vain reflection. "You must assure me, Lavender. I
must know that I can have confidence in you. After all, we're in this thing
together."
"Nothing," he answered swiftly. "I want your oath that you know
nothing of it."
"I can't give it. I'm not sure of myself. I can't live and be sure of not
betraying it. I shall never sleep—never know peace again."
"I want your oath," Melville said doggedly. "After all, you stand to gain
more by Sir Geoffrey's death than I do."
She looked at him, not quite grasping the purport of his words, but even
as he said them they gave him confidence. If she was recalcitrant, he might
threaten her.
"Except yourself, no one can ever throw light upon Sir Geoffrey's death.
You must swear that you will throw none on it."
She did not answer, but sat like a statue of despair, as white as marble
and as motionless. Already they were drawing near to Clapham Junction;
ten or twelve minutes were all that were left for him to get the oath he must
obtain.
"If it got to that, of course that would be the end of me," he said, "for I
should have to confess that the deed was only mine, and I could not be
taken alive. But think what you stand to lose: the income you have, the
fortune you may have, your name, your reputation, possibly your freedom.
You would be so involved in a scandal of bigamy and murder that in self-
defence you would have to disappear. Lavender, it isn't only for my sake
that I'm putting it all like this; I'm not asking you to do anything. I'm only
imploring you for both our sakes to do nothing. Will you give me your
solemn promise to hold your tongue for ever about to-day's work? Will you
swear not to say one word of where we have been, or anything else, to any
living soul? Will you, Lavender—will you?"
"Don't write to me or call," he said. "I must go home at once, and I shall
probably have to go down again to Fairbridge. They are sure to send for me.
I will write to you as soon as I can and fix up an appointment."
She looked at him in wonder. He had courage of its kind, and courage of
any kind appeals to women.
"You need not be afraid," she murmured. "I will keep my promise," and
as he told the cabman where to go, she leaned back and closed her eyes in
utter exhaustion.
"What sort of storm have you had here?" he asked, as he paid the
cabman.
"Ah, well," Melville said, "it's good for your business, I daresay."
He walked round the corner into Jermyn Street erect and steady,
although he felt so excited. How would things work out? The street was
almost empty, for London was dressing for dinner, and the commissionaire
was not standing by the front door of the chambers. A swift glance into the
office showed Melville that that was empty too, and rapidly he walked
along the thickly-carpeted passage. Opposite the lift he paused to scan the
names upon the letters stuck in the letter rack, and his heart leaped as he
caught sight of the orange envelope of a telegram addressed to himself. So
it had come! He put out his hand involuntarily to take it, but checked the
impulse and silently ran up the staircase and gained his rooms. Once there
he tore off all his clothes and hung them in a wardrobe, which he locked.
He changed his linen, dried and brushed his hair, and then, putting on a pair
of flannel trousers and a smoking jacket, rang the bell and lay down on the
sofa, a cigarette in his mouth, a paper in his hand.
"Went off duty, sir, at twelve. He'll be back at eight. Can I do anything
for you?"
"I wanted some tea," said Melville. "I'm ashamed to say I've been
asleep."
"Thanks," Melville answered. "You might see if there are any letters for
me," and he rose and stretched himself.
Tea arrived, and on the tray there lay a couple of letters and the
telegram. Melville tore it open, and an exclamation of surprise and horror
broke from him.
"When did this come?" he asked. "Half an hour ago! Oh, why wasn't it
brought up to me at once?"
"I'm very sorry," the manager said, "but I really didn't know you were
in."
"I've been in all the afternoon," said Melville. "Who would go out in
such a storm if they could help it? But, in any case, I think someone should
bring up telegrams to see if I am at home. It's awful—awful!"
CHAPTER XVI.
AN UNEXPECTED WILL.
That Sir Geoffrey's violent end should have an almost paralysing effect
upon the household that loved him so much was, of course, only to be
expected, but it is impossible to tell beforehand how great grief will
manifest itself in different people. Thus Ralph, who enjoyed a reputation of
being bright and frank and open-hearted beyond the common, became
morose and even sullen, nursing his wrath against the unknown murderer
and allowing the iron to enter into his soul. Melville, on the contrary,
hitherto self-centred and indifferent to the happiness of others, seemed to be
softened by the tragedy, and in many little ways displayed an eagerness to
comfort the rest and a regard for their sorrow that was very winning. The
inquest which was held two days after the outrage was ineffective: a verdict
of wilful murder was returned against some person unknown, and the case
was recommended by the coroner to the attention of the police. So far they
preserved a sphinx-like silence, and although conjecture was rife in the
neighbourhood it received no assistance or corroboration from the
detectives engaged.
The evidence given at the inquest was little more than formal; the
doctor's testimony was brevity itself, Ralph's was concise to the point of
curtness, and the police inspector had no suggestions to offer; the facts were
self-evident, and of the only details that seemed to promise any interest,
namely, the bloodstains upon Ralph's jacket and in the water in the basin,
his explanation was so obviously simple that comment was superfluous. Yet
upon the people in the court Ralph's manner had an effect not wholly
favourable. He appeared to resent their natural curiosity, was brusque, and
even in bowing to the coroner, when that functionary gave expression to the
sympathy felt by his court for Sir Geoffrey's relatives, did not err upon the
side of graciousness. But if Ralph thus failed to maintain the family
traditions of courtesy, Melville atoned for it. He was merely asked whether
he could throw any light upon the crime by suggesting any motive which
might have prompted it, and this, it is needless to say, he could not do. But
his quiet dignity in this moment of sorrow and his air of engaging candour
won all hearts, and he quitted the scene in full possession of the sympathy
of the audience.
There followed two most miserable days, during which Ralph smoked
in solitude upon his houseboat, and Melville, for the most part, idled at The
Grange. Music fits every mood, and there was no disrespect to the uncle by
the nephew turning to his Amati for comfort in this dark hour, and so he
played—played as if inspired by Saint Cecilia—and stole a little further into
Gwendolen's heart.
It was with a sense of genuine relief that the two brothers returned to the
Manor House after the funeral. There was a certain restraint between them
and an odd embarrassment as to their mutual attitude in the small matters of
daily life; thus Sir Geoffrey's chair at the head of the table was left empty
by consent, but it stood as a constant reminder that for one of them it
symbolised possession, and now that its late tenant was laid to rest with his
fathers, the question as to which of the two should sit in it by right was
about to be decided.
With the closing of the inquest Melville's first fears of detection were
allayed, and his mind was engaged almost exclusively with the problem of
his future. He took it for granted that his uncle had died intestate, and the
only complication he could foresee in the division of the estate was brought
about by the existence of Lavender, of which he believed he was the only
person who knew. Mr. Tracy might know, and if he did, Melville supposed
that half the estate would be held, pending Lady Holt's instructions, and that
the other half would be divided between his brother and himself without
undue delay. What action he should take with regard to Lavender it was too
early to decide, but in a vague way he was beginning to incline to the policy
of persuading her never to come forward, which he was confident he could
do, and, by-and-bye, her share, too, might be obtainable for himself, or, at
any rate, half of it.
The brothers were standing in the hall, both feeling rather aimless and
self-conscious, when Martin joined them.
"Mr. Tracy mentioned that he had to return to London soon after the
funeral, so I have taken some luncheon into the library. I thought, perhaps,
you would have business to do before he left."
The butler directed his remarks diplomatically between the two young
men. He assumed that the Manor House would be left to Ralph, as being the
elder, but he did not wish to make any invidious distinctions between them
at present. They looked at each other and went into the library, where they
found Mr. Tracy contemplating a substantial pie as if wondering what
description of animal food it might contain. The old lawyer looked up at
them with a smile, and settled all difficulties of precedence by sitting down
in the nearest chair, which happened to be at the head of the table. He knew
the utility of a meal as a preparation for an unpleasant discussion, and
although as Sir Geoffrey's solicitor he was only the mouthpiece by which
the dead man's disposition of his property was to be communicated, he felt
uncomfortable.
"I have had two copies of Sir Geoffrey's will prepared," he said, "and
perhaps you would like to look at them while I read the original. It is not a
long document, but the technical phraseology may, perhaps, seem confusing
to the lay mind."
"In its main features," continued Mr. Tracy, who seemed to be taking an
unconscionable time fumbling in his bag, "the will, as I have said, is
sufficiently simple, but it contains at least one element of surprise. I will
read it without further comment, and you can follow from the copies," and,
giving a type-written copy of the will to Ralph and another to Melville, he
read the original clearly and distinctly.
Beginning with legacies to the servants, ranging from a year's wages to
the youngest maid to life provision for Martin Somers, the will ordained
that a charge should be made upon the estate sufficient to give an annuity of
four hundred pounds a year to the testator's widow, Dame Lavinia Holt, to
be paid quarterly to her in person, on application at Mr. Tracy's office, the
first instalment to be paid upon her first making such personal application,
and not necessarily to accrue from the date of her husband's death; subject
only to these legacies and this one charge, everything real and personal was
bequeathed to "my dear nephew, Ralph Ashley," for his uncontrolled use
and enjoyment. Of Melville's name no mention whatever was made.
Mr. Tracy folded up the document and waited. The silence grew painful.
Ralph did not know what to say, and Melville could not trust himself to
speak. He was white with mortification and rage, and could have cursed
himself for having with his own hand destroyed his last chance for the
future. He cleared his throat and tried to speak, but the words would not
come. Ralph looked enquiringly at the solicitor.
"I can throw no light upon the mystery," Mr. Tracy said. "Sir Geoffrey
was not the man to give confidences. He drafted this will himself, less than
a month ago, and all I have done is to engross it and procure his signature. I
should like to say that I ventured to ask certain questions and even make
certain suggestions, but they were received with unmistakable disapproval,
and, of course, I could not pursue the matter."
"It is iniquitous," said Melville hoarsely. He rose abruptly from his chair
and faced his brother. "This is your work, you scoundrel! For years you
have left nothing undone to estrange Sir Geoffrey from me. You have
schemed and plotted for this, and at the last minute, curse you, you have
succeeded. Well, you may be hugging yourself now, but I swear you will
live to be sorry."
Mr. Tracy tried to pacify him, but in his heart he was not a little sorry
for him. It must be a terrible shock to find himself thus ignored by the uncle
from whom, for all the lawyer knew to the contrary, he had every right to
expect munificent provision. And the lawyer spoke the truth when he said
he had ventured to plead Melville's cause with Sir Geoffrey, although he
reduced to the lowest possible terms the substance of the old man's answer
to his pleading; yet even at that interview, when Sir Geoffrey might
reasonably have been expected to confide entirely in the lawyer engaged to
give legal effect to his last testament, he had refrained; his native pride
forbade him to dilate upon his story, and kindly, but quite firmly, he
declared his intention not to swerve from the course which he had chosen.
Now that the thing was done, however, Mr. Tracy preferred that the possible
quarrel between the two young men should be deferred until after his own
departure, so he reverted to the matter immediately in hand.
"Well, I will see about it," said Mr. Tracy, "and let you know the result.
Now I must really hurry away. I ventured to ask the butler to order a
conveyance to take me up to the station. Good-bye, Mr. Melville. I quite
understand your very natural disappointment, and I do not hesitate to say I
am sorry about it. If I can be of any service to you at any time do not
hesitate to command me."
"I'm all at sixes and sevens for the minute," he said, "but I should like to
see you again soon. Uncle Geoffrey may have left Melville nothing, but he
has made no conditions in leaving me so much. You can, doubtless, advise
me what would be the best thing to do about my brother."
"I shall be particularly glad to do so," the old lawyer replied heartily.
"Give me time to confirm any appointment, as I am very busy just now, but,
within reason, I can come here or see you in the Fields at any time."
"Of course I can," said Mr. Tracy. "Very delicate of you, I'm sure. I shall
be delighted to take part in so amiable a conspiracy," and, shaking the new
master of the Manor House warmly by the hand, he got into the carriage
and drove away.
Ralph watched the carriage disappear, and turned back into the house
with a sigh. How was he to deal with his brother in this moment of
humiliation, which Melville would with difficulty be persuaded was not due
to him? Although they were brothers and so nearly of an age, the difference
in their temperaments was such that Ralph felt certain beforehand that he
could not hope to appeal successfully to the better part of Melville's
character, which surely must exist. If Sir Geoffrey, with all the authority of
age and wealth, could not control his younger nephew, how could Ralph
hope to succeed? He lingered in the hall, reluctant to open what would be a
painful interview, and as he looked at the familiar things, with their
evidence of wealth and cultured taste, and realised that they were all his, he
became conscious for the first time of the duties and responsibilities which
he had inherited with his rights and privileges. There was no mental
reservation in the inarticulate expression of regret at his uncle's death that
escaped him. Even if it had come in the ordinary course of nature, he would
fain have postponed the day, and lived content and happy with the dear old
man, as he had done for so many years; but for the end to come so
tragically, so treacherously, increased the bitterness a thousandfold, and
Ralph's first emotion as he looked upon his goodly heritage was one of
unmitigated grief at having thus entered upon his own.
But after a little while he raised his head with a new expression of peace
and high purpose on his face. He would strive to be as good a master of the
fine old Manor as Sir Geoffrey had ever been, and the moment to begin his
duties had arrived. He must offer the hand of brotherhood to Melville, and
enlist his help in tracking their uncle's murderer to his doom. More
hopefully he went slowly from the hall to join his brother in the library; but
as he opened the door a feeling of chill disappointment stole over him, for
Melville, too, had shirked the interview and the room was empty. As Ralph
turned to the window with a sigh he saw his brother, looking tall and slight
in his sombre mourning, moving slowly over the sunlit turf and making
evidently in the direction of The Grange.
CHAPTER XVII.
AN ARREST.
It was the fact that Melville shirked a conversation with his brother
immediately after the reading of the will; the mental strain had been so
great that he could not be sure of his temper or judgment, and that being so,
common prudence dictated a delay which would enable him to consider the
new situation in all its bearings before risking a final rupture with the new
lord of the Manor. He sought a temporary refuge at The Grange, where he
knew he would receive commiseration upon his terrible disappointment,
and where he might derive some sardonic satisfaction from the knowledge
that his presence by Gwendolen's side would involve Ralph's absence from
the same desirable spot. Mrs. Austen was quite frank in her condemnation
of Sir Geoffrey's action.
"I dare say Sir Geoffrey had plenty to put up with from Melville," she
said, "but that is the penalty of having children, whether they are your own
or adopted by you. What makes this will so inexplicable is that it was made
such a little while ago, for just lately Melville seemed to be on better terms
with his uncle than he had been for years. I'm sure there is some mischief-
maker at the bottom of it all, and if it had not been for this terrible murder
Sir Geoffrey would have got at the rights of the story, whatever it was, and
made a new will."
Gwendolen sighed. She had not failed to observe the fact, but she could
throw no light upon the reason of it. Ralph resembled Sir Geoffrey in being
very taciturn where his private feelings were concerned; she remembered
the day when Sir Geoffrey said he had a bone to pick with Ralph. The
discussion ended satisfactorily, but she connected the slight trouble in some
way with Melville, who, as she afterwards learned, had seen his uncle the
previous night, and Ralph's championship of his brother's cause had been
discontinued from that time; since then, indeed, he never talked about him.
It was all very puzzling and sad.
But he did not forget his vow that Ralph should live to be sorry for
having contributed, however indirectly, to his disinheritance, and wherever
he went he sowed scandal with both hands. It is an invisible seed, of which
the fruit is more deadly than the upas tree, and in sowing it as he did it is
possible that Melville himself had no idea of what the harvest would be.
Society knew little of Sir Geoffrey, who lived a comparatively retired life in
his fine old Surrey home, but the mystery attaching to the unknown Lady
Holt tickled its palate, and the murder of a man who was one of its order
was not lightly to be forgotten. Thus at many a dinner party, where the
subject was delicately broached, and at many a little luncheon in the clubs,
where the conversation veered upon the question of undetected criminals,
remarks were made—no one could afterwards precisely say by whom—
which went to direct the general suspicion towards one point.
"What is the good of all this parrot-talk about motives," he said on one
occasion. "When once you set to work imputing motives you need never
stop. Anybody can tell you that half the murders in the world are due to
drink or jealousy. Neither comes into this case. And England isn't like Sicily
or Corsica, where vendetta is an institution. Sir Geoffrey could not have had
an enemy in the world, so you may rule out revenge as well."
"How about the lady?" someone suggested, but Melville disposed of the
idea.
"She can't have got her knife into him, or she would not have lain so
low all these years. Besides, it looks as if Sir Geoffrey believed her to be
dead, for he made some funny arrangements about her annuity. Anyhow, all
that is pretty certain to come to light, for I believe there is a big reward
offered to anyone who will produce her. No; I don't see much use in fooling
after motives."
It was not often he was as precise as that. For the most part he contented
himself with the vaguest remarks, all harmless individually, but totalling up
to an incredible strength when put together by skilful brains; and skilful
brains were doing it, brains owned by men who, in spite of all detractors,
are marvellously shrewd, and who do not often have to confess themselves
beaten in the end, although they may sometimes take a long time upon the
journey, and even make errors by the way. Whose business it was to gather
these rumours and carry them to the detectives engaged upon the case, it
matters not to enquire; popular opinion is no evidence, but it is often useful
as indicating where evidence may be found, and, Melville's expressed
opinion notwithstanding, all lawyers attach importance to motive in arguing
for or against the criminality of individuals. At any rate, they agreed in the
advisability of making an arrest upon suspicion, and their selection of the
individual was partly influenced by some of these random and irresponsible
remarks.
The Manor House was looking its best in the mellow light of an ideal
summer evening. It had been one of those days when it is impossible not to
feel delight in life, and Ralph awoke to full consciousness of the fact that he
had youth and love and wealth to comfort himself withal. He spent the
morning at The Grange, and after luncheon punted Gwendolen up the river,
arranging for Mrs. Austen to join them at the Manor House. There was no
flaw in his happiness that day, and, perhaps because of the violent contrast
between its morning and its night, it always stood out afterwards with
particular distinctness in his memory. Returning from Longbridge, he put
on his evening clothes and went to The Grange to fetch Gwendolen and her
mother; they strolled leisurely down to the Manor House and lingered over
dinner, discussing idly many little plans for alterations to be made in the old
place for the fuller satisfaction of its new mistress.
Martin hovered about them, anticipating their every want, and when at
last they left the dining-room they resumed the discontinued custom, and
decided to have their coffee brought to them on the houseboat. It seemed to
mark the closing of a tragedy and the resumption of the pleasant routine of
their country life.
Mrs. Austen was dozing comfortably in her chair, and Ralph sat close to
Gwendolen, smoking in perfect content. Both were seeing visions of the
future, a future of unbroken peace and happiness spent in each other's
company, and the interruption of their waking dream by the sound of
footsteps coming on board was not unwelcome, as it only suggested another
little touch in the picture of material prosperity of which they themselves
furnished the human interest.
Martin deposited his tray in the kitchen in the tender, and came up to
Ralph.
"Of course I must see him at once," said Ralph. "Why should he be
denied?"
"I can't tell you what I mean, Mr. Ralph," he said, "but I'm sure there is
some hideous mistake. I think—I think he thinks you know something
about it."
"Where is the gentleman?" he said, but the question was answered for
Martin. A tall figure was standing at the foot of the stairway, and bowed to
Ralph as he reached the bottom step.