Understanding services -- The important role services play in an economy -- The nature of services and service encounters -- Customers : the focus of service management -- Globalization of services -- Service strategy and competitiveness -- Ethical challenges in service management -- Building the service system -- Technology and its impact on services and their management -- Design and development of services and service delivery systems -- Supply chains in manufacturing and services and their management -- Locating facilities and designing their layout -- Operating the service system -- Managing demand and supply in services -- (supplement) queuing and simulation -- Service quality and continuous improvement -- (supplement) tools and techniques of total quality management -- Service productivity and measurement of performance -- Management of public and private nonprofit service organizations -- Tools and techniques for managing service operations -- Forecasting demand for services -- Vehicle routing and scheduling -- Project management -- Linear and goal programming -- Service inventory systems -- Appendix.

The purpose of this book is to provide cutting-edge information on service management such as the role services play in an economy, service strategy, ethical issues in services and service supply chains. It also covers basic topics of operations management including linear and goal programming, project management, inventory management and forecasting.

This book takes a multidisciplinary approach to services and operational management challenges; it draws upon the theory and practice in many fields of study such as economics, management science, statistics, psychology, sociology, ethics and technology, to name a few. It contains chapters most textbooks do not include, such as ethics, management of public and non-profit service organizations, productivity and measurement of performance, routing and scheduling of service vehicles.