The Encyclopedia of Services is a ground-breaking resource that offers a unique overview of what constitutes the main source of wealth and employment in our contemporary economies, namely services. Divided into five thematic parts, the Encyclopedia thoroughly examines services from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. It provides a pedagogical state of the art review of 283 topics falling within the scope of the major streams of service studies, such as services in economic thought, services management and services innovation. Each entry describes, synthesizes and discusses the main dimensions of the given topic, highlighting key research areas and literature. This Encyclopedia will be particularly invaluable for researchers and students in the economics, sociology, political science and management fields as well as practitioners in the private and public sector. Key Features: First encyclopedia of service studies covering the key topics in the field Entries written by 241 leading scholars and practitioners from 39 different countries Fully supported by The European Association for Research on Services (RESER) Multi-disciplinary approach across the fields of economics, management, sociology, geography, but also political science and history.

This valuable new book contributes greatly to a better understanding of the service economy. By exploring the key dimensions, available empirical evidence and associated policy implications, the author comprehensively investigates the new challenges facing the global economy, including employment, productivity, innovation and competitiveness. The case of the European services is highlighted, particularly in comparison to the US. On the basis of these challenges, the book examines the existing and potential services-related policies at the EU level, incorporating discussions on regulation, competition policy, internal markets and regional policies. The book argues that the orientation of many of these policies is still in its incipient stages and there is much to be done in terms of scope, definition, coordination and shaping to satisfy the needs and varied nature of heterogeneous services. To have a strong and integrated services market in the EU remains as a major policy objective requiring new impetus and political ambition in order to succeed. This is a unique work combining new evidence on the service economy and a full range of policy implications at the EU level. As such it will be of interest to researchers and policymakers, professionals in service firms, students in international business and those interested in services as a dimension of any economic and business activity.

This book provides one of the first interdisciplinary reviews of the relationship between services, globalisation and trade liberalisation as we enter the twenty-first century. Written by academics and policymakers, it contains a detailed analysis of the characteristics of service trade and of recent and current service trade negotiations. The authors focus on exploring the complex relationship between the process of globalisation and the globalisation of services taking into consideration service trade negotiations. Many service functions reduce the relative distance between places and more importantly enable the process of globalisation. The globalisation of service functions is complex. Services are different from goods as they depend on human capital (embodied knowledge and reputations) and have to be localized to meet specific cultural and political requirements. The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) needs to be informed by an understanding of the differences that exist between goods and services as well as by the processes by which services globalise. The GATS has to be more than just about quantitative-based policies but also has to explore national regulations that inhibit trade in services. This book will be of special interest to economists, geographers and policymakers with a specific involvement in service trade and trade liberalization.

For too long the prevalent view has been that the public and private sectors differ dramatically when it comes to innovation. This book takes a radically different tack, not as a rhetorical stance, but as the basis for fruitful empirical analysis. The studies here show that public service organizations and their leaders can be innovative in their own right. The contributions made here provide insights that will productively inform future research and practice.' - Ian Miles, University of Manchester, UKThis book is devoted to the study of public-private innovation networks in services (ServPPINs). These are a new type of innovation network which have rapidly developed in service economies. ServPPINs are collaborations between public and private service organizations, their objective being the development of new and improved services which encompass both technological and non-technological innovations. The book presents in-depth empirical research from different service sectors across Europe in order to explore the nature of these public-private collaborations. It elucidates the processes of formation, entrepreneurship and management, the types of innovations ServPPINs generate, and the nature of the public policies required to support them. This multidisciplinary book will appeal to academics and students in economics, management, and the sociology of services and innovation. Managers in the public and private service sector and public authorities will also find much to interest them. Contributors: M. Bu ar, B. Dachs, G. Di Meglio, F. Djellal, L. Fuglsang, J. Gallego, F. Gallouj, L. Green, B. Heller-Schuh, A. Jakli , P. Labarthe, F. Lissoni, C. Merlin-Brogniart, O. Montes Pineda, A.-C. Moursli-Provost, A. Pyka, L. Rubalcaba, D. Schartinger, B. Schoen, M. Stare, J. Sundbo, I. Wanzenboeck, K.M. Weber, P. Windrum

The proceedings volume presents selected papers from the International Conference on Sustainability in Software Engineering & Business Information Management: Innovation & Applications (SSEBIM 2021) held in Olten, Switzerland from 8-9 October, 2021.  It includes research related to sustainability from both a business and technical point of view. From a business perspective, it not only addresses how to make the business operations more sustainable, but also considers factors such as human values, ethics, environment and responsibility of the businesses. From the technical perspective of software development companies, it focuses on sustainability in software engineering ranging from practices, tools, techniques and methods. The contributions reflect how software engineering teams exhibited pro-activeness in their approaches to lead to sustainable development of the software that is of highest quality and reliability. It is intended for a broad audience, including students, researchers and practitioners who work in software engineering and business information management fields.

For too long the prevalent view has been that the public and private sectors differ dramatically when it comes to innovation. This book takes a radically different tack, not as a rhetorical stance, but as the basis for fruitful empirical analysis. The studies here show that public service organizations and their leaders can be innovative in their own right. The contributions made here provide insights that will productively inform future research and practice.' - Ian Miles, University of Manchester, UKThis book is devoted to the study of public-private innovation networks in services (ServPPINs). These are a new type of innovation network which have rapidly developed in service economies. ServPPINs are collaborations between public and private service organizations, their objective being the development of new and improved services which encompass both technological and non-technological innovations. The book presents in-depth empirical research from different service sectors across Europe in order to explore the nature of these public-private collaborations. It elucidates the processes of formation, entrepreneurship and management, the types of innovations ServPPINs generate, and the nature of the public policies required to support them. This multidisciplinary book will appeal to academics and students in economics, management, and the sociology of services and innovation. Managers in the public and private service sector and public authorities will also find much to interest them. Contributors: M. Bu ar, B. Dachs, G. Di Meglio, F. Djellal, L. Fuglsang, J. Gallego, F. Gallouj, L. Green, B. Heller-Schuh, A. Jakli , P. Labarthe, F. Lissoni, C. Merlin-Brogniart, O. Montes Pineda, A.-C. Moursli-Provost, A. Pyka, L. Rubalcaba, D. Schartinger, B. Schoen, M. Stare, J. Sundbo, I. Wanzenboeck, K.M. Weber, P. Windrum