Global Delivery of Service via Online Platforms: Service Models, Challenges and Research Agenda

Online service is the new rising service practice that uses Internet as the primary service delivery platform. Some forms of online service like crowdsourcing have drawn academic interests. However, confusions on the concepts and business models around this topic still exist; and little effort has been made for the improvement. In this paper, we identify and define five key business models of online service by positioning it in the vein of organizational practices. Then a research agenda is proposed. By doing this, we call academic attentions to this new phenomenon.