SSME Network: UK network of researchers in services science, management and engineering

近年来，服务业已成为世界经济中一个快速增长的部门。服务业目前占巴西、俄罗斯、日本和德国劳动力的50%以上，占美国和英国劳动力的75%。资讯科技服务业的发展尤为迅速，预计全球资讯科技服务业的产值将由2005年的6350亿美元增至2008年的7800亿美元。虽然最近几十年见证了服务的“工业化”，并且越来越多的人意识到服务通常是创新的，但很明显，许多服务的业务流程知之甚少，并且在一些服务行业中仍然存在大量的手工式组织。越来越多的评论人士认为，服务业缺乏传统制造业和工程学科的严谨性。服务业的增长正在改变公司组织自己的方式，造成技能差距，这需要人们具备商业和信息技术方面的知识，以及成功的服务运营所需的人为因素。对新的服务技能的需求和对服务实践的更科学的严谨性，这两种驱动力促使一些顶尖大学和商界的思想领袖提出在服务领域建立一门新的学科。值得注意的是，这样的想法最近得到了IBM和许多其他主要IT公司的大力支持，但是这个想法超出了IT系统服务的范围，并且包含了服务和业务的一般概念。然而，目前在服务科学、管理和工程（SSME）方面还没有国际甚至国内的合作。尽管许多英国大学对SSME感兴趣，但英国没有网络或社区来建立这个新领域。因此，该提案的目的是创建一个新的网络，将英国的学术研究人员聚集在一起，这些研究人员认识到需要多学科服务导向的研究和教育，并将帮助在英国发展更广泛的SSME议程。拟议中的网络/因此被称为SSMEnetUK/将通过围绕SSME议程发展对研究、教育和实践的目标和机会的共同理解，并将研究人员的成果汇集到一个有凝聚力的研究合作和教育计划中，从而使相关网络和社区受益，从而开拓这一新领域。SSMEnetUK是及时的，因为世界范围内服务提供的增长，以及越来越多的国际关注服务科学。美国、中国和日本在这一议程上都处于领先地位。研究人员和行业合作伙伴合作提高英国作为领先服务提供商的能力，这对英国的竞争优势非常重要。通过汇集在该地区工作的网络网络，影响将是重大的，建立和促进英国作为服务、科学研究和教育的焦点。SSMEnetUK的创始成员将由来自多个学科的顶尖研究人员组成，包括计算机、工程、商业、管理、社会科学和设计；与IBM、惠普和英国电信的主要行业领导者以及两家规模较小的服务公司UXonline和Abacus Billing Ltd的首席执行官一起。创始成员来自牛津大学、曼彻斯特大学、伦敦国王学院、杜伦大学、埃塞克斯大学、纽卡斯尔大学和华威商学院。该网络的目标将通过一系列个案研究、会议和讲习班以及编写报告、研究论文和利用一套丰富的研究和教育资源进行更广泛的传播来实现。

In recent years service industries have become a fast growing sector in world economies. Services now accounts for more than 50 percent of the labour force in Brazil, Russia, Japan and Germany, as well as 75 percent of the labour force in the United States and the United Kingdom. IT services in particular have risen rapidly and the worldwide IT service industry is expected to increase in value from US$ 635 billion in 2005 to US$ 780 billion in 2008. While recent decades have witnessed the 'industrialization' of services, and increasing awareness that services are often innovative, it is clear that the business processes of many services are poorly understood, and there remains a great deal of craft-like organization in some service industries. Increasing numbers of commentators suggest that the services industry lacks the rigor of traditional manufacturing and engineering disciplines. The growth in services is changing the way companies organize themselves, creating a skills gap which requires people to have knowledge in business and information technology, as well as the human factors that go into a successful services operation. These two driving forces/the need for new service skills and more scientific rigor to the practices of services/have led some leading universities and thought leaders in the business world to propose a new academic discipline in services. Significantly, such an idea has recently received substantial backing from IBM and a number of other major IT corporations, but the idea extends beyond IT systems services and encompasses general notion of services and business. However, currently there is no international or even national collaboration on Services Science, Management and Engineering (SSME). Although a number of UK universities, are interested in SSME, there is no UK network or community to build this new area.The aim of this proposal is therefore to create a new network that brings together academic researchers in the UK who recognize the need for multidisciplinary services oriented research and education and who will help develop the wider SSME agenda within the UK. The proposed network/hence called SSMEnetUK/will pioneer this new field by developing a shared understanding of goals and opportunities for research, education, and practice around the SSME agenda and to bring together the results of the researchers into a cohesive research collaboration and education programme that can benefit the associated networks and communities. SSMEnetUK is timely because of the worldwide growth in services provision, and the increasing international attention being paid to the science of services. The US, China and Japan are all leading on this agenda. It is important for UK competitive advantage that researchers and industry partners collaborate to enhance its capabilities as a leading service provider. By bringing together the network of networks working in the area, the impact will be major, establishing and promoting the UK as a focal point for services science research and education.The founding members of SSMEnetUK will consist of leading researchers from a range of disciplines, including computing, engineering, business, management, social science, and design; together with key industry leaders from IBM, HP and BT and CEOs from two smaller service companies UXonline and Abacus Billing Ltd. Founding members are from Oxford University, University of Manchester, King's College London, Durham University, University of Essex, University of Newcastle upon Tyne and Warwick Business School.The objectives of the network will be met through a series of case studies, meetings and workshops and the production of reports, research papers and the harnessing of a rich set of research and educational resources for wider dissemination.