Services Science: Fundamentals, Challenges and Future Developments

The service sector has dominated advanced economies for years. In many countries, it accounts for more than 70% of gross domestic product, and approximately the same percentage of all employees work in this sector. To reflect the economic relevance of the service sector, services science must be established as an academic discipline. But the path in pursuit of this goal is riddled with challenges, especially in the fields of services research, service-oriented education and service-related collaborations. This book includes detailed articles and short statements on each field, written by academics and experts. They explain which challenges need to be met by research and academic training in the services community of the 21st century. The contributions contained in this book reflect the content of presentations and statements given at the first German Services Science Conference.