Friday, April 25, 2008
SERVONOMICS: "The study of service processes, practices, products, organisations and systems. This can be approached from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, but will almost always require an interdisciplinary style of research, since service is typically about transformations to meet individual or organisational requirements, and will thus involve technique and often technology, knowledge of user characteristics and requirements, and in practice often interpersonal or emotional skills to handle the human clients of service operations." (Ian Miles, 2008)
This definition is open to the scope for services whose primary task involves effecting transformations in people, in social relations, in artefacts, in environments, and in data and information; for business, consumer and public services; for knowledge-intensive, "operational" and low-skill services.
SERVONICS: "The systematic development, organisation and application of knowledge concerning the efficient and effective management, operation and improvement of service processes, practices, products, organisations and systems, and the improvement of service." (Ian Miles, 2008)
SERVATION: "The shift of emphasis in economic activity away from material goods and their production, and toward service as the fundamental aim of this activity." This applies to changes in the labour force (more white-collars, for example; in industry structures (dominance of services sectors, for example), and on management thinking (more focus on customer service, for example). Other terms used to refer to similar or partial elements of this process are "servicisiation" and "tertiarisation".
(Ian Miles, 2008)
(Introduced this term in the FUTMAN project, and have just found a study which uses it wittout thinking twice about the neologism:
see Future of Manufacturing study at:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/enterprise_policy/
A note on terminology:
The suffix "-onomics"
In my understanding, this refers to the study of something, while -ology refers to knowledge of that thing.
INFONOMICS , introduced in the 1990s: there are several definitions around:
on Wikipedia: "Infonomics is defined as "the intelligent management of information". It is about the interrelationship between "people" and "organizations", on the one hand, and "information", on the other. Infonomics is an emergent discipline, involving various disciplines, and requiring "people participation" from both a theoretical, as well as a practical standpoint."
There's a strong Netherlands Infonomics tradition: "Infonomics: Economics and Business of the Information Society " and
and several private sector bodies use this as their brand.
The suffix "-onics"
Seems to be mostly used to connotate "doing things" as in electronics - and anybody remember psionics) John W Campbell etc.)?
1) There are several companies trading under the name Servonics, in several countries. So this makes its use for research purpoises rather difficult. This suffix is popular in some quarters for branding:
from an article by Treadwell
"Ferris a.... found that name changes using a “high-tech” suffix such as “onics,” “ex,” and “ix” approached significance with respect to a related change in companies’ mean abnormal returns. He found that the market was able to discriminate between those companies whose name change reflected a change in performance or potential and those whose name change was merely cosmetic. He found that name changes are not necessarily simply putting “old wine in new bottles.” Name changes do signal activities with significance for shareholders, but the form or characteristics of the name itself have no significant effect on investors’ perceptions of the firm."
A second reason for caution is that it has run into some problems - where "onics" comes from "phonics" - see http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080213100028AAUaLaz
for "Ebonics ... African-American Vernacular English ..., the often sarcastic notion grew of making -onics or -bonics a suffix designating any dialect or distinctive way of talking. Among the countless inventions were Chicagonics for Chicago talk, Hebonics for Jewish speech styles, TVbonics for the language of television game shows, and Greasebonics or Mechanics English for the language of automobile repairpersons."
see http://www.mcz.com/psrhea/archive/onics.htm for a much longer list!
Friday, April 18, 2008
Alajkääskö, P., ‘The demand for services: external but local provision’, Statistics in Focus -Industry, Trade and Services, 26/2006, Eurostat, Luxembourg, 2006. Available from:
http://epp.Eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-NP-06-026/EN/KS-NP-06-026-
EN.PDF
Alajkääskö, P., ‘EU-27 business services: thriving in the wake of outsourcing and
liberalisation’, Statistics in Focus - Industry, Trade and Services, 76/2007, Eurostat,
Luxembourg, 2007.
http://epp.Eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-SF-07-076/EN/KS-SF-07-076-
EN.PDF
Alajkääskö, P., ‘Exports of business services’, Statistics in Focus - Industry, Trade and
Services, 74/2007, Eurostat, Luxembourg, 2007. Available from:
http://epp.Eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-SF-07-074/EN/KS-SF-07-074-
EN.PDF
Blog at http://topics.scirus.com/Services_Science_and_Innovation.html
contains: Introduction
References
Selected Links
Web Search Results
Recent and Most Cited Articles
News Articles
Related Keywords
Is related to new network/project:
Complex Services Innovation Research Network
The newly created Complex Services Innovation Research Network (CSIRN), part of the University of Glasgow Faculty of Law, Business and Social Sciences, has been formed to examine how complex organizations can analyse current and future needs in developing, and driving, both effective and efficient service orientated supply chains. CSIRN has the support of a range of service organizations such as IBM, and has now, in February 2008, commenced both research and teaching initiatives.
The Network is made up of specialists, from both Glasgow and further afield, in the areas of Human Capital, Employee Engagement and Work Design; Knowledge Management and ICT; Supply Chain Management; Internationalisation; Science and Engineering; Services Marketing and Consumption; and Transformation and Management Development.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
http://www.union-network.org/
mentioned in previous blog, for its rich material on Business Services. UNI is the global organisation for unions in services etc. Its website has sections on:
Commerce
Electricity
Finance
Gaming
Graphical
Hair & Beauty
IBITS (Industry, Business Services, ICT)
Media, Entertainment & Arts
Post & Logistics
Property Services (Cleaning and Security)
Social Insurance
Telecom
Tourism
Temp Work Agencies
Development and Regions' Department
UNI IBITS members work in the most dynamic economic sectors on the cutting edge of technological and organisational change. UNI IBITS policies aim to assist and guide members coping with turbulent environments and manage the transition from manufacturing to services.
At http://www.union-network.org/uniibitsn.nsf/EnPublications?OpenPage
there are a good range of substantial publications on KIBS, professional employment, and related topics.
For example:
The use of migrant professional workers in IT | |
ICT Forum UNI Europa Diversity Management in the European ICT-Sector Opening up the road for social dialoguel | |
Diversity Management in the ICT Industry: Challenges and Issues for Social Dialogue | |
Knowledge-Intensive Business Services Outside Experts: A New Target Group for the Trade Unions | |
Advancing into the knowledge-based services sector The IBITS growth agenda Karin Hirschfeld id text . Berlin July 2007 | |
Expertise in Demand Knowledge-intensive Business Services (KIBS) KARIN HIRSCHFELD ID TEXT . BERLIN 2007 | |
Anticipate and Manage Change in Information Technology Den Wandel in IT antizipieren und gestalten Anticiper et gérer le changement dans les technologies de l’information Anticipar y dirigir el cambio en la Tecnología de Información | |
Conference Report: Professionals and Managent Staff: Work Without Boundaries Fach- und Führungskräfte: Arbeit ohne Grenzen Les cadres:Travail sans frontières | |
Background Report: Professionals and Managent Staff: Work Without Boundaries Fach- und Führungskräfte: Arbeit ohne Grenzen Les cadres:Travail sans frontières El trabajo Sin Fronteras | |
From manufacturing to services, Summary report Von materieller Produktion zu Dienstleistungen, Zusammenfassender Bericht 07.2003 | |
IT Professionals Forums in India Die IT Professionals Foren in Indien 07.2003 | |
Convergent goals, A briefing paper on convergence Des objectifs convergents, Document de travail sur la convergence Konvergierende Ziele, Ein Informationspapier über die Konvergenz Konvergerande mål, Ett informationsblad om konvergens 07.2003 | |
From manufacturing to services, A challenge for the representation of union interests De la production matérielle à la prestation de services, Enjeux pour la défense des intérêts syndicaux Von materieller Produktion zu Dienstleistungen, Herausforderungen für die gewerkschaftliche Interessenvertretung Från varor till tjänster, utmaningar för den fackliga representationen 07.2003
| |
Mobility of IT Professionals in Europe Mobilité des Professionnels des TI en Europe Mobilität der IT-Fachkräfte in Europe | |
PEOPLE FIRST IN EEUROPE: A UNI-EUROPA RESPONSE TO EEUROPE: AN INFORMATION SOCIETY FOR ALL PRIORITE A LA PERSONNE HUMAINE DANS L'EEUROPE: L'AVIS D'UNI-EUROPA SUR LE RAPPORT EEUROPE: UNE SOCIETE DE L'INFORMATION POUR TOUS DER MENSCH IM MITTELPUNKT IN EEUROPA - EINE ANTWORT VON UNI-EUROPA AUF EEUROPA: EINE INFORMATIONSGESELLSCHAFT FÜR ALLE | |
Tackling the skills gap - The shortage of IT specialists in Europe Remédier à la pénurie de qualifications - Le manque de spécialistes en Europe Strategien zur Bewältigung der Qualifikationslücke - Der Mangel an IT-Spezialisten in Europa Hur kommer vi till rätta med kompetensklyftan - Bristen på IT-specialister i Europa | |
Quality Services - Quality Employment, Buisiness Services Forum, 21-22 October 1999, Brussels Qualité du service - Qualité des emplois, Forum des services aux entreprises, 21-22 octobre 1999, Bruxelles Dienstleistungen hoher Qualität - Beschäftigung hoher Qualität, Forum für Unternehmensdienstleistungen, 21.-22. Oktober 1999, Brüssel | |
