Submit a Manuscript to the Journal
Services Marketing Quarterly
For a Special Issue on
Sustainability and Services Marketing: An ESG Perspective
Manuscript deadline
Special Issue Editor(s)
Joseph Lok-Man Lee,
Division of Business and Hospitability Management, College of Professional and Continuing Education, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
joseph.lee@cpce-polyu.edu.hk
Tracy Jun-Feng Zhang,
Department of Management, Marketing and Information Systems, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
junfzh@hkbu.edu.hk
Sustainability and Services Marketing: An ESG Perspective
The use of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria to assess corporate performance of service firms has recently attracted a lot of scholarly attention (Efthymiou et al. 2022). In the digital transformation era, ESG practices increasingly shape customers’ behavior toward brands, serving as frameworks that not only correspond with consumer values but also impact their trust, loyalty, and engagement with companies (Hasan et al. 2024). Submissions addressing research concerns in the field of “ESG x Services Marketing” are warmly welcomed for this Special Issue.
Given the complex interactions between ESG concerns and the marketing strategies of various service industries (Chen and Fan, 2024; Seok et al., 2024), this Special Issue aims to fill the apparent research gap. Our approach to ESG is all-encompassing, covering topics such as green servicescape, sustainable service delivery, digital service strategies, green business practices, and ESG principles and applications of service firms.
(for references, please contact the Guest Editor)
Special issue information:
This Special Issue welcomes ESG research related to specific firm-level or industry-level analysis in a multinational or global setting, cross-country comparison, or single-country analysis with an international dimension to advance understanding of services marketing theories and practices. Topics may include, but are not limited to:
The purpose of this Special Issue is to promote knowledge of services marketing theories and practices by accepting ESG research pertaining to specific firm-level or industry-level analysis in a global or national setting, cross-country comparison, or single-country analysis with a global dimension. Some possible topics are, but are not restricted to:
- Green service brand management and leadership
- Service Innovation and sustainability within the global competitive arena
- Sustainable service failure and recovery strategies
- Service operations and process management with ESG disclosure
- Digital service marketing communications of service firms with sustainability
- Environmental strategies for marketing practices of service corporations
- Service analytics and information systems of service firms and ESG identification
- Validity of services marketing theories in addressing ESG issues
Submission Instructions
Manuscript submission information
Services Marketing Quarterly’s submission system is open for submissions for the Special Issue “Sustainability and Services Marketing: An ESG Perspective” from March 1 to October 31, 2025. Please submit your manuscript to the Editorial Manager and select 'Yes' to the question on submitting in response to a call for papers, and select the Special Issue title. Publication of accepted manuscripts is expected to start on a rolling basis.
Article types accepted: Original (Research) Articles, Research Notes. Please select article type 'Article' in SMQ Submission Portal for both.
Original articles
Structure and word limits are the same as the Regular Issue.
Research notes
Structure: Research Notes (RNs) offer a forum for brief communications on empirical research themes or methodological advancements pertinent to the services marketing. RNs are supposed to present new approaches, methodological updates, exploratory work, or preliminary findings prior to conducting a full-scale study.
Word limits: A typical research note for this journal should be no more than 8 pages.
All papers will undergo peer review in accordance with the policies of Taylor & Francis and SMQ. There will be a virtual SI or collection of articles in this special issue. Instead of waiting for a compilation of all eventually accepted articles, accepted articles will be submitted to production instantly. Articles from this Special Issue will be identified as special issue articles. Before submitting your manuscript, please make sure you have read the Guide for Authors.