Towards a service system ontology for service science

Service Science is a new interdisciplinary approach to the study, design, implementation, and innovation of service systems. However due to the variety in service research, there is no consensus yet about the theoretical foundation of this domain. In this paper we clarify the service systems worldview proposed by Service Science researchers Spohrer and Kwan by investigating its foundational concepts from the perspective of established service theories and frameworks. By mapping the proposed service system concepts on the selected service theories and frameworks, we investigate their theoretical foundations, examine their proposed definitions and possible conflicting interpretations, discover their likely relationships and general structure, and identify a number of issues that need further discussion and elaboration. This analysis is visualised in a multi-view conceptual model (in the form of a UML class diagram) which we regard as a first step towards an explicitly and formally defined service system ontology

From geographical innovation clusters towards virtual innovation clusters: The innovation virtual system

The opportunities of the new economic landscape have determined radical changes in the organizational structures of the firms, till the creation of new virtual clusterization forms, that is distinct systems of suppliers, distributors, service providers and clients that use the 'internetworking technologies' as a principal way for co-operating and competing. These 'virtual clusterization forms' that have been also defined as 'e-business communities' or 'b-web communities' (Tapscott, Lowy & Ticoll, 2000), are here defined as 'virtual clusters'. In a virtual cluster (VC), each enterprise adds one or more distinct aspects of product/service value to the value of the network, by exchanging digital knowledge with other members. Recent studies, focused on VCs, highlight that the VC enabling factors may be identified in ICTs ubiquity (increasingly wireless) and bandwidth robustness, that allow firms to access real-time what they need and to co-ordinate their intra and inter-firm activities, creating value both by offering innovative and personalized products, services and by cutting transaction costs. (Davin and Botkin, 1994) (Rayport and Sviokla, 1995). This paper focuses on these VCs innovation processes, in order to make some comparisons between the traditional geographical innovation clusters and the emerging virtual innovation clusters. To this end, the paper is organized in two logical patterns: Some empirical evidence for describing ad discussing the more important features of the emerging VCs. Specifically, the paper focuses on the following issues: - Some first results on VCs characteristics, regarding four distinctive features of their new world of business: i. Agents: radical increase in the number of agents that form a cluster. ii. Connections: virtually unlimited increase in the number of connections and therefore in the potential size of the cluster. iii. Space: delocalization of transactions which become space independent. iv. Time: information transmission takes place at the speed of electronic communication. - The analysis of the VC basic unit, the Internetworked Enterprise (IE), and of its learning process with customers and trough strategic alliances. A model of the VCs global virtual learning environment, here conceived as a system of innovation, defined as 'Innovation Virtual System' (IVS). IVS is here interpreted as a new way of projecting the traditional systems of innovation into a global scale.

Reframing the Work of Rural Community Development: Case Studies in Innovative Rural Business Strategies

Much of community development work in this country is understood in urban terms - densely populated areas with attendant economies of scale, housing issues that can be addressed largely in isolation of economic development and infrastructure issues, micro-level service area focus without the need to address regional economies and housing markets, even simple communications and relationship-building opportunities.None of this is terribly surprising. After all, the community development field grew out of urban activism and experience.The translation of urban revitalization strategies and lessons learned into a rural community development model inevitably highlights the challenges unique to highly varied rural markets. The service area is typically numerous communities, sparsely populated, covering great distances. Absent are highly visible corporate headquarters and other traditional opportunities for local private partnership. Smaller municipalities are less likely to offer a full range of services to complement any nonprofit service delivery system.At first glance the challenges facing rural development seem daunting. Needs -- or everything that seems to be so glaringly absent -- outweigh assets. However, rural markets are well worth a second look. In the few years since NeighborWorks America launched its Rural Initiative, we've uncovered astonishing examples of innovation with enormous community impact in some of the most challenging markets in America.We think these innovations are well worth sharing. Rural markets are often the emerging markets for expanding regional economies. The closer we look at the work being done by community based organizations, and in particular, chartered members of the NeighborWorks network, the more we realize that these organizations function as front line economic engines for increased homeownership, infrastructure improvements, job creation and retention.This report documents the compelling attributes of six business strategies that are successfully transforming diverse rural markets across America. Our hope is that this exciting new information, the first of a series, will stimulate numerous and varied adaptations within the community development field and spur additional investment in rural development by the private and public sectors

Facilitating mCommerce growth in Nigeria through mMoney usage: A preliminary analysis

A general belief is that Mobile Money (mMoney) has the catalytic effect of spurring mCommerce growth and driving financial inclusion in developing nations like Nigeria. In Nigeria, mMoney service is certainly a new financial service innovation in the country, and as a result critical issues surrounding its early critical mass adoption, including its perceived usefulness, remain largely opaque. In this paper, our aim was to explore factors influencing perceived usefulness of mMoney by using the extended technology acceptance model (TAM) as the theoretical underpinning of our work. This work is based on a usable sample of 127 respondents from two major cities in Nigeria. Overall, the study's results indicate that perceived regulator assurance, service affordability, convenience, proximity to the nearest bank branch, and worry over ease of use are significant predictors of mMoney perceived usefulness. The work helps shed new insights about the significant factors that are closely related to the consumer's perception of the relevance of mMoney services (to his/her financial needs). In sum, the study is an initial step to addressing the issue of perceived usefulness of mMoney service, including its pivotal importance to laying a solid foundation for mCommerce growth in Nigeria and similar sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries

Agile Leader’s Emotional Resilience and Their Digital Innovations and Business Transformations in a Workplace in Msme Sector (New Normal) to Mitigate COVID-19 & Its Successors

Theoretical Framework:During Covid-19, IndCzech invented numerous digital business transformations to maintain its sustainability in the global economy. IndCzech’s digital innovations (New normal) through online safety study workshops, business meetings, Factory Acceptance test, 3D Model review, Design review, Quality audit, project implementation and business transformation through work sharing possibilities in different places, integrated work culture, changes in native infrastructure have been analyzed the possibilities to implement. Based on the study, conceptual model proposes with Digital innovation, Business Transformation, Emotional Resilience, Challenges in workplace and Organizational growth.    Design / Methodology/approach:129 agile leaders in the workplace in MSME sector data’s were collected through questionnaire and data analyzed with descriptive analysis, t-test, one way ANOVA, Correlation analysis, Regression analysis through SPSS and SEM model through SPSS AMOS.   Findings:We found that Digital innovation and business transformation with emotional resilience are positively linked with organizational growth.   Research, Practical & Social Implications:The purpose and implication of this empirical study to highlight on one’s agile leader’s emotional resilience in workplace (IndCzech) and their performance through digital innovations and business transformations and recommend government and MSME to improve organizational growth.   Originality / Value:Agile leaders in Engineering service industry and their emotional resilience during pandemic period were not evaluated and it added value in the engineering service sector to mitigate their issues to have better business sustainability and organizational growth

Towards Internet QoS Provisioning Based on Generic Distributed QoS Adaptive Routing Engine

Increasing efficiency and quality demands of modern Internet technologies drive today’s network engineers to seek to provide quality of service (QoS). Internet QoS provisioning gives rise to several challenging issues. This paper introduces a generic distributed QoS adaptive routing engine (DQARE) architecture based on OSPFxQoS. The innovation of the proposed work in this paper is its undependability on the used QoS architectures and, moreover, splitting of the control strategy from data forwarding mechanisms, so we guarantee a set of absolute stable mechanisms on top of which Internet QoS can be built. DQARE architecture is furnished with three relevant traffic control schemes, namely, service differentiation, QoS routing, and traffic engineering. The main objective of this paper is to (i) provide a general configuration guideline for service differentiation, (ii) formalize the theoretical properties of different QoS routing algorithms and then introduce a QoS routing algorithm (QOPRA) based on dynamic programming technique, and (iii) propose QoS multipath forwarding (QMPF) model for paths diversity exploitation. NS2-based simulations proved the DQARE superiority in terms of delay, packet delivery ratio, throughput, and control overhead. Moreover, extensive simulations are used to compare the proposed QOPRA algorithm and QMPF model with their counterparts in the literature

Inovasi Pelayanan SAKINA di Puskesmas Sempu Kecamatan Sempu Kabupaten Banyuwangi

 Abstract This study was aimed at describing the service innovation devoted to pregnant women through SAKINA program at Sempu Public Health Center, Sempu Sub-regency, Banyuwangi regency. Sempu Public Health Center faced issues germane to the high number of pregnant women and babies’ deaths in its operational region, wherein the health center was reported to contribute the highest number of mothers and babies’ death rates in Banyuwangi. The high death rates in its operational region occurred due to slow service for pregnant women. As such, Sempu Public Health Center created an innovation in their service so as to surmount the issue under the spotlight, resulting in SAKINA service. This research applied descriptive method in qualitative setting. Research data were collected by observation, interview, and documentation. Informant determination was done through snowball technique. The obtained data were then tested for its validity by observation consistency, triangulation, and detailed elaboration. Afterward, data were analyzed using Miles and Huberman’s analysis model, comprising of data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and verification. The research findings showed that SAKINA service innovation carried out by Sempu Public Health Center was effective and efficient in bringing down the death rates of mothers and babies in its operational region. That was representative of the innovation in service process and methods applied. The innovation in service process was to give service emphasizing the ease of access, which could be obtained within and beyond the health center. In terms of method innovation, the health center applied get-the-ball method, by which midwifes and Laskar cadres came to patient’s house in order to carry out examination. Implementing these innovations, Sempu Public Health Center managed to nullify the death rates in 2014 and 2015. &nbsp

Planning and Managing of Diagnostic Imaging Technologies in Healthcare: The Introduction of Managed Equipment Service (MES) for the System’s Sustainability

The lack of resources has driven healthcare management studies to recognise Private and Public Partnerships (PPP) as the solution in managing efficiency, effectiveness and profitability of technological innovation. Recent researchers have identified the buying model called Managed Equipment Service (MES), in which purchaser and seller share the risks of technology’s management and use, as an optimal problem-solving method. The aim of this research is to analyse the potential economic-financial and organizational benefits of MES introduction in healthcare, in particular for the acquisition of the diagnostic imaging technologies. The research applies the case study method. We have examined a representative Italian Local Health Authority for its dimensions, managerial characteristics and case-mix offered but, especially, for its high health standards. In the study we have involved the strategic figure of radiographer in diagnostic imaging. The data has been elaborated through statistical analysis to observe the correlations. Evidence demonstrates that MES costs are lower than all the other planning and purchasing methods analysed (between 11% - 239%). When correlations between age of facilities and effectiveness of provided services is strong, MES grants the maintenance of a lower average age of technologies and a more efficient use of resources and significant margins of profitability. The emerging model of PPP is a possible solution to the current issues surrounding economic and financial sustainability of healthcare systems, considered the fewer resources and the technological progress. MES in healthcare appears to be a highly efficient way of managing innovation, in particular for diagnostic imaging technologies. Keywords: Public Private Partnership (PPP), Managed Equipment Service (MES), middle-high technologies, diagnostic imaging

Some Methodological Problems of Improving the Effectiveness of the Management of Innovative Enterprises

Issues of management of activities and the development processes of modern innovative enterprises are viewed. The creation necessity of modern innovative enterprises has been indicated, their management features and indicators have been defined. Management models of modern innovative enterprises have been clarified. Management of modern innovative enterprises has been developed. The analysis of some scientific publications indexed on the management of the activity of innovation enterprises has been carried out. As a result of examining the organizational management structure models of different profile innovation structures, its exemplary organizational structure is proposed. Structures of a management system based on intellectualizing features of management have been offered. The architectural-technological structural model of a network of modern innovative enterprises with different profiles is developed. The main directions for the management of innovative enterprises of the future are defined and an appropriate conceptual model of management was proposed based on the recommendations of international organizations. The conceptual model of the intellectual management system of the complex activity of innovative enterprises has been proposed. Appropriate approaches and models have been proposed to improve product/service manufacturing in innovative enterprises. Taking into account the recommendations of international organizations, the infrastructure problems and institutional mechanisms of increasing the efficiency of perspective activity of innovative enterprises in Azerbaijan have been studied. Prospects for the application of the trends of the IV Industrial revolutions in improving the efficiency of management of the activities of similar enterprises are shown. The proposed approaches and models for improving the management processes of innovative enterprises can be applied in other relevant innovation structures

Why do services and manufacturing firms envision environmental innovation differently? A path-model comparison

[EN] Innovation and environmental awareness are crucial issues that actually build a firms competitive advantages. In terms of manufacturing industries, several studies have been carried out to disentangle the variables that help companies to orientate more effectively their innovations towards sustainability. In comparison, although the service industry is increasing its economic weight, little research has been carried out in this domain. In the present paper, we analyse the differences of eco-innovative behaviour between Service and Manufacturing industries. We retrieved 6253 firms¿ data from the Spanish panel of innovative activities (PITEC database) and deployed a structured equations model (EQS) for each group to compare what variables are influencing the willingness to be eco-innovative for each type of industry. Results show the differences in impact that product orientation has on eco-orientation. The relation between product-orientation and eco-orientation in service firms is significantly different to that in manufacturing firms. In fact, product-orientation impact is lower in service firms. Thus, while manufacturing firms show a similar impact of product and process orientation on eco-orientation, process-orientation in service firms almost doubled the relative impact of product-orientation on eco-innovation. These results may allow both policy makers and managers to make the correct decisions regarding national, industry and company strategy.The authors would like to thank the Spanish Science and Innovation Ministry for its financial support through the research project (EC02011-27369).Peiró Signes, A.; Segarra Oña, MDV.; Maroto Álvarez, MC. (2014). Why do services and manufacturing firms envision environmental innovation differently? A path-model comparison. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies. 23(5):1691-1697. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/60005S1691169723