Conceptual fragmentation in marketing science: insights from the value co-creation literature
Lopullinen julkaistu versio - 870.76 KB
Makkonen, H., Aspara, J., Kaartemo, V., Mäntymäki, M., & Paavilainen-Mäntymäki, E. (2026). Conceptual fragmentation in marketing science: insights from the value co-creation literature. European Journal of Marketing, 60(13), 475–504. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-09-2024-0791
© Hannu Makkonen, Jaakko Aspara, Valtteri Kaartemo, Matti Mäntymäki and Eriikka Paavilainen-Mäntymäki. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/
Lataukset17
Pysyvä osoite
Kuvaus
Purpose
The concept of value co-creation occupies a central role in marketing and service research, yet its usage has often been fragmented and inconsistent. This study aims to examine value co-creation as a case of conceptual fragmentation, offering a large-scale reassessment of its conceptual development.
Design/methodology/approach
Analyzing 2,960 articles published between 2004 and 2019, the authors conduct an integrative literature review and statistical analysis. The authors introduce analytical comprehensiveness (AC) as a systematic measure to evaluate how thoroughly the foundational dimensions of value co-creation – value proposition and value-in-use – are engaged.
Findings
The longitudinal analysis reveals both intuitive and counterintuitive patterns. While integration has generally increased, trajectories differ across article positioning, journal types and rankings. These findings indicate that integration is not simply a function of time but reflects mechanisms of scholarly learning, diffusion and institutionalization.
Research limitations/implications
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first quantified, large-scale review of value co-creation, clarifying its foundational dimensions and advancing conceptual fragmentation as an actionable research construct. It opens pathways for future work on conceptual stewardship and cumulative knowledge building.
Practical implications
This study enhances practical understanding by refining value co-creation into actionable dimensions – value proposition and value-in-use – that can guide managerial application.
Originality/value
This paper contributes by elaborating conceptual fragmentation as a central phenomenon in marketing, introducing AC as a replicable measure, showing its contingency on structural contexts and refining value co-creation’s conceptual core through the first large-scale empirical analysis of its fragmentation dynamics.
Emojulkaisu
ISBN
ISSN
1758-7123
0309-0566
0309-0566
Aihealue
Kausijulkaisu
European journal of marketing|60
OKM-julkaisutyyppi
A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (vertaisarvioitu)