For the seventh consecutive year, University of Hawai‘i Shidler College of Business Professor Stephen Vargo was named to the 2020 Web of Science’s World’s Most Influential Researchers in the business and economics discipline. Those making the list for 2020 were identified as scientists that are influencing the future direction of their respective fields. Fewer than 0.1% of the world’s researchers, across 22 research fields, have earned this exclusive distinction. Vargo earned the distinction by demonstrating exceptional influence through his publications, which were frequently cited by his peers during the last decade. His articles focused on the “Service-Dominant (S-D) Logic” framework, which redefines how value is co-created through economic exchange.
“We are extremely proud of professor Vargo. He is an excellent researcher and mentor to our doctoral students as well as our junior faculty.” Vance Roley, dean of the Shidler College of Business, said. “Since 2006, the college has increased the number of faculty endowments from six to 43 and has made substantial investments in faculty research resources.”
Also in 2020, Vargo was ranked eight on the Stanford List of Worldwide Marketing Scholars, based on career citation metrics. He also received the Christopher Lovelock Career Contributions to the Services Discipline Award by SERVSIG (service research group) for his contributions to teaching, research, service and impact in the services discipline. In 2019, he received the prestigious Shelby D. Hunt/Harold H. Maynard Award.
Vargo earned his bachelor’s and master’s from the University of Oklahoma and a doctorate in marketing from the Michael F. Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma. He is an expert in research pertaining to market and market theory, strategy and service-encounter. Vargo has published more than 100 research publications that have been featured in notable journals including the Journal of Marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Service Research, Journal of International Marketing, Journal of Retailing and MIS Quarterly. According to Google Scholar, Vargo currently has more than 60,000 citations.
