The SAGE Encyclopedia of Quality and the Service Economy
- Su Mi Dahlgaard-Park - Lund University, Sweden
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.
"In the introduction, the editor, Su Mi Dahlgaard-Park, Lund University, provides an historical overview of quality control as it was first applied in the manufacturing industry to its adoption in the services industry. Article contributors are from universities spanning the globe. Over 230 diverse topics are covered in an A-Z format, many of which reflect the changing digital environment: Blog, E-Business Models, Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM), Google, Online Consumer Behavior, Wikipedia, etc... Recommended for academic and large research libraries."
"Researchers looking for a wide-ranging collection of entries on the intersections and overlap between quality management and the service economy will find this Encyclopedia useful. The entries would also be useful as readings for faculty looking to provide a good overview of these topics to their students. The Sage Encyclopedia of Quality and the Service Economy is recommended for large economic and business collections, especially those focused on management and organizations."
"...The intended audience includes researchers, educators, and people working in organizations who are interested in attaining knowledge and competencies in the field. ...Some of the entries are unique (e.g., "Electronic Word of Mouth," "Emotional Engineering and Design," "Mystery Shopping," "Poka-Yoke"), while the more familiar topics are varied in content and treatment (e.g., "Business-to-Customer Relationships," "Deming's 14 Points," "Organizational Image and Identity"). Some entries feature a historical overview, others include definitions, and many offer examples and discuss methodologies, challenges and opportunities, and new directions. ...Even though these differences in content and style can be distracting, the resource is important because of its comprehensiveness and specialized focus on the field of study. Summing Up: Recommended. Advanced technical program students and upper-level undergraduates through researchers; professionals/practitioners."
