Managing Services

Abstract

Abstract The nature of services in society and the economy is wide-ranging and complex. The management of services and their innovation provokes a number of challenges for practitioners, professionals, and academics. This book provides a range of perspectives on understanding, managing, and reconceptualizing service by bringing together contributions from leading figures in service research, so as to make a timely and significant multidisciplinary contribution to the theory and practice of service management. The book presents a collection of contemporary perspectives on service management challenges as it: • extends understanding of service through exploration and critique of service organizational and managerial strategies from selected theoretical and empirical perspectives; • reviews the distinctive role and importance of service to academics, professionals, and practitioners, and identifies appropriate bridging strategies; • evaluates selected aspects of the practice of service management; • investigates the challenges inherent in managing services; • reviews the nature, direction, and applicability of selected theoretical dimensions that inform the understanding of service management; • considers contemporary innovations in services and service management; • assesses the opportunities for theory building, to further support understanding of the complexities of service management and its impact on organizations and wider society. The book is written by a group of leading social science and service management specialists, who were awarded the prestigious ESRC/EPSRC Service Fellow awards as part of the Advanced Institute of Management Research initiative. It will be of interest to graduate students, academics, and practitioners in service management.