Characterizing Product-Service Systems in the Healthcare Industry – an Internal Stakeholder Perspective

Abstract

This paper presents a preliminary product-service system (PSS) classification framework, which challenges the existing schemes that have not distinguished services from intangible products. Two recently completed cases in the health information and communications technology sector have revealed new dimensions for PSS classification from the perspective of internal stakeholders, that is those within the company who are directly involved in the new PSS development. These new dimensions are volume, value, and quality. Volume is the relative number of product/service elements in the PSS. Value is the relative product/service contribution to the worth of the PSS. Quality is the combination of features, knowledge, skills and attitudes that affect the successful usage of the PSS. The findings also suggest that a PSS configuration might remain constant when the product and service proportions change. The results from these two cases have provided important directions for further work in PSS classification.