The definition and measurement of productivity in services raises important conceptual, methodological and strategic problems. This book aims to provide a critical review of the main debates on productivity in the domain of services. The first part examines the theoretical consequences of services specificities on the concept of productivity and reviews the attempts to measure it. The second part is devoted to the main determinants of productivity growth and the strategies to increase productivity in service firms and organisations.

This Handbook brings together 49 international specialists to address an issue of increasing importance for the world's post-industrial economies; innovation as it relates to services. Contemporary economies have two fundamental characteristics. Firstly, they are service economies in as much as services account for more than 70 per cent of the wealth and jobs in most developed countries. Secondly, they are innovation economies as recent decades have seen an unprecedented development of scientific, technological, organisational and social innovations. This Handbook expertly links these two...

Service innovation is a young but prolific research field, with a rapidly increasing number of publications being dedicated to the area. This new title provides a collection of the most significant articles that have helped build and develop this subject from a theoretical, empirical and methodological perspective. Together with an original introduction by the editors, the 43 seminal papers in this book address the key focuses of the subject, including the theories, nature and measurement of innovation in services, and other concerns, such as the role of knowledge intensive business services...

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary. Over the last two decades, Service Innovation Studies (SIS) has achieved 15 distinct and important advances. This Research Agenda outlines these major developments, setting out the research priorities in the field. Faiz Gallouj and Faridah Djellal have drawn together an array of renowned contributors to create a multidisciplinary analysis of the topic...

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary. Over the last two decades, Service Innovation Studies (SIS) has achieved 15 distinct and important advances. This Research Agenda outlines these major developments, setting out the research priorities in the field. Faiz Gallouj and Faridah Djellal have drawn together an array of renowned contributors to create a multidisciplinary analysis of the topic...