Manufacturing-led development has provided the traditional model for creating jobs and prosperity. But in the past three decades the conventional pattern of structural transformation has changed, with the services sector growing faster than the manufacturing sector. This raises critical questions about the ability of developing economies to close productivity gaps with advanced economies and to create good jobs for more people. At Your Service? The Promise of Services-Led Development (www.worldbank.org/services-led-development) assesses the scope of a services-driven development model and policy directions that can maximize the model’s potential.
Society, globally, has entered into what might be called the “service economy.” Services now constitute the largest share of GDP in most countries and provide the major source of employment in both developed and developing countries. Services permeate all aspects of peoples’ lives and are becoming inseparable from most aspects of economic activity. “Quality management” has been a dominating managerial practice since World War II. With quality management initially associated with manufacturing industries, one might assume the relevance of quality management might decrease with the emergence of the service economy. To the contrary, the emergence of the service economy strengthened the importance of quality issues, which no longer are associated only with manufacturing industries but are increasingly applied in all service sectors, as well. Today, we talk not only about product or service quality but have even expanded the framework of quality to quality of life and quality of environment. Thus, quality and services have emerged in parallel as closely interrelated fields. The Encyclopedia of Quality and the Service Economy explores such relevant questions as: What are the characteristics, nature, and definitions of quality and services? How do we define quality of products, quality of services, or quality of life? How are services distinguished from goods? How do we measure various aspects of quality and services? How can products and service quality be managed most effectively and efficiently? What is the role of customers in creation of values? These questions and more are explored within the pages of this two-volume, A-to-Z reference work.
'Knowledge and Innovation in the New Service Economy is an interesting book that provides a good overview of recent trends in the service sector. . . . This book is recommended for libraries supporting upper division and graduate programs in international business and e-commerce, or for those who want a thorough overview of the knowledge-based service economy.' - Steven W. Staninger, Business Information Alert Knowledge and innovation are key factors contributing to growth and prosperity in the new service economy. This book presents original, empirical and theoretical contributions to address the economic dimensions of knowledge and the organisation of knowledge intensive activity through specialised services. Specific analyses include: * macro statistics to highlight the contribution of services to economic activity * firm level survey data to identify and consider client relations * case studies of four innovation-oriented business services.
The question of how to measure and improve productivity in services has been a recurrent topic in political debates and in academic studies for several decades. The concept of productivity, which was developed initially for industrial and agricultural economies poses few difficulties when applied to standardized products. The advent of the service economy contributed to call into question, if not the relevance of this concept, at least its definition and measurement methods. This book takes stock of the issues met by productivity in services on theoretical, methodological and operational levels. The authors examine various definitions of productivity and the main methods of its measurement. A survey of recent conceptual and methodological debates on the notion of productivity is also presented. A more operational and strategic perspective is then adopted in order to identify and analyze the main levers, factors and determinants for improving productivity and, more generally, the actual strategies adopted for this purpose in firms and organisations. Providing a deep understanding of the specific and underestimated performance processes within service industries, this book will be of great interest to those involved in industrial economics, management science and public administration.
Papers in this unique volume were developed from the 2006 conference hosted by IBM, Service Science, Management, and Engineering (SSME) — Education for the 21st Century. The book incorporates a variety of perspectives, informed by an international background in SSME experience and education, including management, business, social science, computer science and engineering. Readers will derive an understanding of education needs and program offerings in SSME.
This text seeks to raise the curtain on competitive pricing strategies and asserts that businesses often miss their best opportunity for providing consumers with what they want - an experience. It presents a strategy for companies to script and stage the experiences provided by their products.
This book presents recent research directions that address management in the information economy. The contributors include leading researchers with interests in a diverse set of topics who highlight important areas and point to some important topics for future research. The book begins with perspectives at the level of the economy as a whole and then progressively addresses industrial structure, sectors, functions, and business practices.
Chapter 1 Introduction -- part Part I Different service societies in Europe -- chapter 2 Measuring economic tertiarisation -- chapter 3 The incidence of new forms of employment in service activities -- chapter 4 Why do countries have such different service-sector employment rates -- chapter 5 Services and the employment prospects for women -- part PART II The organisation of service work: an analysis of five sectors -- chapter 6 The family, the state, and now the market -- chapter 7 The reluctant nurses -- chapter 8 Work hard, play hard -- chapter 9 Work organisation and the importance of labour markets in the European retail trade -- chapter 10 Lean banking -- part Part III Common challenges -- chapter 11 The shaping of work and working time in the service sector -- chapter 12 The delegation of uncertainty -- chapter 13 Can trade unions meet the challenge -- chapter 14 Diversity and regulation of markets for services.
Die Fähigkeit, hochwertige Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und anzubieten, ist zu einem wesentlichen Faktor für die Unternehmensstrategie und den Unternehmenserfolg geworden. "Competing in a Service Economy" hilft Führungskräften und Managern bei der Neuentwicklung und Innovation von Dienstleistungen strategisch zu denken und zu planen. Wer Dienstleistungen entwickelt, steigert die Kundenzufriedenheit und damit die Finanz-Performance. Der Band erläutert detailliert die Tools und Prozesse für die Bereitstellung, Verbesserung und Innovation von Dienstleistungen. Fallstudien zu IKEA, Disney, Volvo Trucks, Sterling Pulp Chemicals und EMC2 belegen anschaulich die verschiedenen Ansätze. Die Autoren verfügen über langjährige Praxiserfahrung im Bereich wissenschaftlicher und angewandter Forschung in Zusammenarbeit mit einer Vielzahl von Firmen und Organisationen. "Competing in a Service Economy" ist ein praxisorientierter Leitfaden, der Ihnen genau sagt, wie Sie sich durch die Entwicklung und Innovation von Dienstleistungen einen Wettbewerbsvorteil sichern.
Customer satisfaction is a critical factor to the potential success or failure of a business. By implementing the latest marketing strategies, organizations can better withstand the competitive market. Strategic Marketing Management and Tactics in the Service Industry is an essential reference publication that features the latest scholarly research on service strategies for competitive advantage across industries. Covering a broad range of topics and perspectives such as customer satisfaction, healthcare service, and microfinance, this book is ideally designed for students, academics, practitioners, and professionals seeking current research on best practices to build rapport with customers.
