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Showing papers on "Service system published in 2000"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a four-dimensional model of (services) innovation, that points to the significance of such non-technological factors in innovation as new service concepts, client interfaces and service delivery system.
Abstract: In the unfolding knowledge-based economy, services do matter. But while they are increasingly seen to play a pivotal role in innovation processes, there has been little systematic analysis of this role. This essay presents a four-dimensional model of (services) innovation, that points to the significance of such non-technological factors in innovation as new service concepts, client interfaces and service delivery system. The various roles of service firms in innovation processes are mapped out by identifying five basic service innovation patterns. This framework is used to make an analysis of the role played by knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) in innovation. KIBS are seen to function as facilitator, carrier or source of innovation, and through their almost symbiotic relationship with client firms, some KIBS function as co-producers of innovation. It is further argued that, in addition to discrete and tangible forms of knowledge exchange, process-oriented and intangible forms of knowledge flow...

1,185 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the constructs of service quality, satisfaction and value are discussed and exploratory research is undertaken among customers of an audit firm to determine whether value plays a moderating role between service quality and satisfaction.
Abstract: The constructs of service quality, satisfaction and value are discussed. Instruments are identified and exploratory research is undertaken among customers of an audit firm to determine whether value plays a moderating role between service quality and satisfaction. Results from a moderated regression confirming such a role for value are reported. Implications are drawn and opportunities for further research are highlighted.

665 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a framework for examining the service recovery process and then report on an empirical study to test this framework, which not only validate much of what is anecdotally claimed by researchers and casual observers of service industries but also highlight the role of operational activities in service recovery.

528 citations




Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine variation in the use of high involvement work practices in service and sales operations and argue that the relationship between the customer and front-line service provider is a central feature that distinguishes production-level service activities from manufacturing.
Abstract: This paper examines variation in the use of high involvement work practices in service and sales operations. I argue that the relationship between the customer and front-line service provider is a central feature that distinguishes production-level service activities from manufacturing. In particular, through strategic segmentation, firms are able to segment customers by their demand characteristics and to match the complexity and potential revenue stream of the customer to the skills of employees and the human resource system that shapes the customer–employee interface. Unlike manufacturing, where high involvement systems have emerged in a wide variety of product markets, therefore, service organizations are likely to use high involvement systems only to serve higher value-added customers because of the high costs of these systems and the labour-intensive nature of services. Data from a nationally random sample of 354 call centres in US telecommunications documents this pattern: from classic mass product...

259 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A number of marketing and Website design implications for e‐retailers are set out and means by which e‐Retailers can manage their customer loyalty drivers are suggested.
Abstract: There has been an explosion in the number of retail Web sites since 1995, e‐retail offering shares a few common elements specifically a product search facility (often augmented by a product evaluation facility), an on‐line purchase function and a product delivery capability. There is a body of theory and empirical research in the study of customer loyalty drivers in the services sector, which demonstrates that customers evaluate services on the basis of tangibles, responsiveness, empathy, assurance, reliability and control. These service qualities depend on the customer’s perception of the overall service experience. The most influential element in the service experience is the relationship between the service provider and the customer. The Internet is a poor service delivery medium, it lacks the capacity for direct personal interaction enjoyed by non‐Internet based services. Sets out a number of marketing and Website design implications for e‐retailers and suggests means by which e‐retailers can manage c...

250 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a study of restaurant customers found that the construct of equity was significantly correlated with respondents' intention to repurchase and significant differences in equity were observed between genders and age groups, suggesting that service recovery processes should be more closely tailored to demographic characteristics of customers.
Abstract: Failure to consistently deliver promises is a likely outcome for high contact services. While many organizations create blueprints to recover from service failures, these tend to focus on production processes rather than the individual needs of customers. Develops a framework based on equity, for studying the effects on customers of service failure and recovery. In a study of restaurant customers, the construct of equity is found to be significantly correlated with respondents’ intention to repurchase. Significant differences in equity were observed between genders and age groups, suggesting that service recovery processes should be more closely tailored to the demographic characteristics of customers.

212 citations


Patent
Lundy Lewis1
23 May 2000
TL;DR: A service level agreement is a contract between a supplier and a customer that identifies services supported by a network, service parameters for the services, and service levels (e.g., acceptable levels) for each service parameter.
Abstract: Method and apparatus for service level management, wherein business processes are composed of services. A state of the service is defined by one or more service parameters, and the service parameters depend upon performance of network components that support the service, e.g., component parameters. The state of the service may depend, for example, on a collection of service parameter values for availability, reliability, security, integrity and response time. A service level agreement is a contract between a supplier and a customer that identifies services supported by a network, service parameters for the services, and service levels (e.g., acceptable levels) for each service parameter.

183 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Investigation of whether firms use systematic procedures to generate and screen ideas for new services finds that only half the sample have a formal NSD strategy, idea generation is undertaken on an ad hoc basis and idea screening is failing to support the N SD strategy.
Abstract: This paper addresses the issue of initiating new service development (NSD) projects. The aim of the article is to investigate whether firms use systematic procedures to generate and screen ideas for new services. Utilising a survey of marketing managers in UK service companies, data were collected in the areas of NSD strategy, idea generation and screening. It was found that only half the sample have a formal NSD strategy, idea generation is undertaken on an ad hoc basis and idea screening, although more prevalent, is failing to support the NSD strategy. Management implications and areas for further research are discussed.

181 citations


Book
01 Feb 2000
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present an overview of the role of service marketing in the context of the Internet and describe a framework for managing the customer's experience components of the service experience.
Abstract: Note: Each chapter ends with a Summary and Conclusion, Exercises, an Internet Exercise, and References. I. Foundations of Services Marketing Vignette: The Weather Channel: The Public's Eye on the Sky 1. Understanding Services Marketing Definition of Services How Does Services Marketing Differ from Physical Goods Marketing? Characteristics of Services Classifications of Services Overview of Book Spotlight 1.1: Service Industry to Be Measured by New Indicator Spotlight 1.2: Peace of Mind for You and Your Pets Spotlight 1.3: Personalized Department Store Services 2. Frameworks for Managing the Customer's Experience Components of the Service Experience Framing the Service Experience Comparing Service Experience Frameworks Raising the Curtain on Services Theater The Emotional Side of Services Spotlight 2.1: It Used to Be Easier Spotlight 2.2: Call-a-Bike: The Invisible System Makes This Service Possible Spotlight 2.3: Magic Castle: A Unique Service Experience Taking the Show on the Road: A Canadian Dental Experience (by Stephen Tax) 3. Plugging into the Information Age Services and the Information Age Empowering Employees Through Technology Empowering the Customer Enabling the Interactive Experience Capturing Customer Information Coping with Negative Impacts of Services Technology Challenges of Using Technology to Manage Customer Interfaces Spotlight 3.1: eBay Drop-Off Stores: One of 13 Hot Businesses for 2005 Spotlight 3.2: Video Games Dominate Entertainment Services Media Spotlight 3.3: ChoicePoint Loses Your Identity: Theft on the Internet II. Creating the Interactive Experience Vignette: Louvre Museum 4. Planning and Producing the Service Performance The Service Performance Supplementing the Basic Service Performance Differentiating the Service Performance Customizing the Service Performance Scripting the Service Performance Blueprinting the Service Performance The Internet and Service Performances Spotlight 4.1: Copying Practices from Fast-Food Restaurants and Retailers Gives a Small Bank a Massive Competitive Advantage Spotlight 4.2: Self-Service Technology Gains Popularity Spotlight 4.3: Medical Theater 5. Designing the Service Setting What Is a Service Setting? Key Considerations in Designing the Service Setting The Service Setting as a Marketing Tool Cyberspace as a Service Setting Spotlight 5.1: Minimundus--Die Kleine Welt am Worthersee (The Little World on Lake Worth) Spotlight 5.2: A Premium Evening at the Ballpark Spotlight 5.3: High-End Restrooms Offer Artistic Relief 6. Leveraging the People Factor Service Employees and Their Behavior Empowering Service Employees The Need for Service Improvisation The Emotional Side of Services Costuming Service Employees Maximizing Service Employee Productivity Spotlight 6.1: It's All an Act for the Doctors Spotlight 6.2: The Struggle of Dealing with Employee Turnover Spotlight 6.3: What Service Organizations Can Learn from Stanislavsky Spotlight 6.4: This Service Goes to the Dogs 7. Managing the Customer Mix Service Customers and Their Behavior Customer-to-Customer Interactions Customer-to-Employee Interactions Selecting and Training Customers Managing Customer Rage Spotlight 7.1: Mardi Gras: New Orleans Knows How to Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler Spotlight 7.2: Silence at 35,000 Feet Spotlight 7.3: Banning Teenagers in Shopping Malls III. Promising the Interactive Service Experience Vignette: The Windsor Court Hotel: What Price Excellence? 8. Setting a Price for the Service Rendered Why Do Services Prices Vary? Yield Management in Services Pricing Objectives and Approaches The Relationship Between Service Price and Value Calculating Service Costs Price Bundling Additional Pricing Considerations Spotlight 8.1: If Airlines Sold Paint Spotlight 8.2: Airlines' Price Unbundling: Charging for Meals Spotlight 8.3: What Is a Picture Worth? 9. Promoting the Interactive Service Experience Services and Integrated Marketing Communications Marketing Communications and Services The Promotional Mix Advertising the Service Sales Promotions and Services Personal Selling and Services Publicity and Services Promoting Services on the Internet Spotlight 9.1: Citibank Brings Sumo Wrestlers to New York Spotlight 9.2: Jackson Hewitt Ties Game to NASCAR Spotlight 9.3: Humorous Service Organization Slogans Spotlight 9.4: "...Would You Like to Supersize That?" IV. Delivering and Ensuring a Successful Customer Experience Vignette: "Shoppertaintment": Creating and Delivering the Customer Experience 10. Building Customer Loyalty Through Service Quality What Is Service Quality? How Customers Evaluate Service Quality Why and When to Guarantee a Service What Makes an Extraordinary Service Guarantee? How to Design a Service Guarantee Spotlight 10.1: Ritz-Carlton Hotels: Two-Time Malcolm Baldrige Award Winner Spotlight 10.2: Using Technology to Reduce Human Error in Health Care Services Spotlight 10.3: Quality Improvement by Rating Child Care Services Taking the Show on the Road: Toyota Norway (by Tor Andreassen) 11. Regaining Customer Confidence Through Customer Service and Service Recovery Customer Service Customer Service as a Strategic Function Developing a Customer Service Culture The Need for Service Recovery Steps to Service Recovery Hidden Benefits of Service Recovery Spotlight 11.1: Planning for Customer Service: Improvisation Training at Aer Arann Spotlight 11.2: An Airline Passenger's Nightmare Spotlight 11.3: Are All Customers Worth Recovering? 12. Researching Service Success and Failure Why Is Researching Service Success and Failure Necessary? Why Is Service Success So Difficult to Achieve? Research Methods for Services Creating a Service Quality Information System Spotlight 12.1: AOL Releases Web-Search Data of 650,000 Users Spotlight 12.2: Going Retail with Market Research Spotlight 12.3: Health Care Taps "Mystery Shoppers": To Improve Service, Hospitals and Doctors Hire Spies to Pose as Patients and Report Back Taking the Show on the Road: Richer Sounds (by Gillian Hogg) V. Management Issues in Services Marketing Vignette: Offshoring Services: TATA Consultancy Services 13. Developing Marketing Strategies for Services Overview of Marketing Strategy in Service Organizations Scanning the Environment Planning the Services Marketing Strategy Positioning and Service Segmentation Marketing Mix Strategy Strategic Challenges for Services Service Strategies for Competitive Advantage Spotlight 13.1: Stones from Bones Spotlight 13.2: Green Marketing Issues in the Service Sector Spotlight 13.3: Choosing a Name for the Service 14. Coping with Fluctuating Demand for Services Why Is Services Demand a Problem? The Nature of Service Demand Chasing Demand with Service Capacity Smoothing Demand to Fill Service Capacity Maximum Versus Optimum Capacity Spotlight 14.1: Italians' Love for August Vacations Gets in the Way of Business Spotlight 14.2: The Peachtree Road Race: Atlanta Puts Its Best Foot Forward Spotlight 14.3: Pizza--It's Not Just for Breakfast Anymore 15. Thinking Globally: "It's a Small World After All" Services and Culture Global Trade in Services Entry Strategies for Global Service Markets Standardization Versus Adaptation of Global Services Multilingual Service Systems Technology and Global Services Spotlight 15.1: Wal-Mart Creates Retail Upheaval in Japan and Germany Spotlight 15.2: Offshoring: From Call Centers to Debt Collection Services Spotlight 15.3: Burger King Worldwide Taking the Show on the Road: The Internet Comes to the Service of Farmers in India (by Mohan Agrawal) Appendix: Careers in Services Glossary Name Index Organization Index Subject Index

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A model of a stochastic service system with models for tenure- and experience-based service quality finds that low utilization in an all-specialist system can also reduce quality, and therefore the optimal staff mix combines flexible and specialized workers.
Abstract: Does cross-training workers allow a firm to achieve economies of scale when there is variability in the content of work, or does it create a workforce that performs many tasks with consistent mediocrity? To address this question we integrate a model of a stochastic service system with models for tenure- and experience-based service quality. When examined in isolation, the service system model confirms a well-known "rule of thumb" from the queueing literature: Flexible or cross-trained servers provide more throughput with fewer workers than specialized servers. However, in the integrated model these economies of scale are tempered by a loss in quality. Given multiple tasks, flexible workers may not gain sufficient experience to provide high-quality service to any one customer, and what is gained in efficiency is lost in quality.Through a series of numerical experiments we find that low utilization in an all-specialist system can also reduce quality, and therefore the optimal staff mix combines flexible and specialized workers. We also investigate when the performance of the system is sensitive to the staffing configuration choice. For small systems with high learning rates, the optimal staff mix provides significant benefits over either extreme case (a completely specialized or completely flexible workforce). If the system is small and the rate of learning is slow, flexible servers are preferred. For large systems with high learning rates, the model leans toward specialized servers. In a final set of experiments, the model analyzes the design options for an actual call center.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The case of Scandic Hotels shows, first, that sustainable strategies and practices can be just as useful in service operations as in manufacturing operations; and second, that such strategies and Practices can support a corporate turnaround effort.
Abstract: The case of Scandic Hotels shows, first, that sustainable strategies and practices can be just as useful in service operations as in manufacturing operations; and second, that such strategies and practices can support a corporate turnaround effort. Scandic Hotels, Nordic Europe's biggest hotel chain, was on the verge of collapse in the early 1990s. A new CEO, Roland Nilsson, turned the company around by introducing two business principles, decentralized management and sustainable development. The company's new value system, embodied in the concept of sustainability, linked customers and employees, who were calling for more environmental responsibility. Through employee-training programs, environmental information systems, and innovative collaborations with suppliers, Scandic was revived within a few years as a profitable corporation well on the road to sustainability.

Patent
20 Jan 2000
TL;DR: In this paper, a method and apparatus are provided for evaluating Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that describe the level of services that are to be provided to customers by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) or Enterprise Service providers (ESPs).
Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for evaluating Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that describe the level of services that are to be provided to customers by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) or Enterprise Service Providers (ESPs). The method and apparatus are utilized to measure the quality of service being provided to customers and to determine whether or not the quality of service is in compliance with an SLA that characterizes the level of service to be provided to customers. Such services include, for example, electronic mail (e-mail), Voice-Over-IP (Voice Over Internet protocol), networking services and web hosting.

Patent
Jarir K. Chaar1, Rong N. Chang1
20 Nov 2000
TL;DR: In this article, a cross-SLA event manager receives the monitoring events and determines which one or more SLA contracts are affected by the events, and a cross SLA resource manager handles the SMOs' resource allocation requests and optimizes the allocation of available resources per the service provider's SLA management objectives.
Abstract: One or more SLA-specified service-level monitors and/or one or more provider-owned service-level management monitors are used by the invention to monitor one or more quality measures of one or more QoS-assured service systems and to generate one or more service-level monitoring events when the monitored system does not conform to the respective quality measures. The invention includes a cross-SLA event manager that receives the monitoring events and determines which one or more SLA contracts are affected by the events. Then one or more SLA management objects (SMOs) track the SLA-specific events generated by the event manager according to each of the respective SLA contracts. The SMOs also determine how to allocate/deallocate/configure SLA management resources and/or to determine the effect of these changes on the service system operation to assure the contracted quality of service. A cross-SLA resource manager handles the SMOs' resource allocation requests and optimizes the allocation of available resources per the service provider's SLA management objectives. Finally, a SMO manager manages the execution of SMOs and facilitates the integration and management of service system testing-time and production-time activities.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a typology of a class of service systems is proposed, which links strategic operational objectives to the decision to de-couple work between the front and back offices of a service system.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors explored the experiences of customers who receive service in relationships (customers who return to the same provider for service), pseudorelationships (the same organization but a different provider), and encounters (neither a regular provider nor a regular firm).
Abstract: This article explores the experiences of customers who receive service in relationships (customers who return to the same provider for service), pseudorelationships (the same organization but a different provider), and encounters (neither a regular provider nor a regular firm). We examined interactions with hairstylists, auto mechanics, and physicians to test hypotheses about customers' reactions to service delivery. Although customers respond particularly well to service relationships, based on our results for auto mechanics, it appears possible for firms to design pseudorelationships that also are relatively high in trust.

Patent
04 Aug 2000
TL;DR: In this article, a logistic service system includes a programmable vehicle module, a service computer, a central server, a first data link connecting the module to the service computer and a second data link between the module and the central server.
Abstract: A logistic service system includes a programmable vehicle module, a service computer, a central server, a first data link connecting the module to the service computer and a second data link connecting the service computer to the central server. Component information retrieved from the module and stored on the server is used to service the module. The component may be subjected to diagnostics or updated with new parameters.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate whether firms use systematic procedures to generate and screen ideas for new services and find that only half the sample have a formal new service development strategy, idea generation is undertaken on an ad hoc basis and idea screening, although more prevalent, is failing to support the NSD strategy.
Abstract: This paper addresses the issue of initiating new service development (NSD) projects. The aim of the article is to investigate whether firms use systematic procedures to generate and screen ideas for new services. Utilising a survey of marketing managers in UK service companies, data were collected in the areas of NSD strategy, idea generation and screening. It was found that only half the sample have a formal NSD strategy, idea generation is undertaken on an ad hoc basis and idea screening, although more prevalent, is failing to support the NSD strategy. Management implications and areas for further research are discussed.

Journal ArticleDOI
Rohit Verma1
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an empirical snapshot of management challenges among different types of service industries (Service Factory, Service Shop, Mass Service, and Professional Service) based on data collected (sample size = 273; response rate 97.5 percent) from the managers of four services (Fast Food, Auto Repair, Retail Sales, Legal Services).
Abstract: This study presents an empirical snapshot of management challenges among different types of service industries (Service Factory, Service Shop, Mass Service, and Professional Service). Based on data collected (sample size = 273; response rate 97.5 percent) from the managers of four services (Fast Food, Auto Repair, Retail Sales, Legal Services) we show how management challenges change with customer contact/customization and labour intensity. These results have important implications for understanding “real life” service operations, for process improvement, and for service design.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a sample of 221 firms in Singapore that use ocean freight shipping services, examines service recovery issues related to satisfaction and gives recommendations on how service firms can mitigate and be vigilant for service recovery problems.
Abstract: The tenets of relationship marketing are useful in understanding the success of a service provider. Based on a sample of 221 firms in Singapore that use ocean freight shipping services, examines service recovery issues related to satisfaction. It was found that service recovery methods such as claims handling, problem handling and complaint handling are associated with the level of satisfaction of customers. In addition, interfacing departments also have varying association with levels of satisfaction of customers. Finds that users of these services can identify problems they experience with ocean freight shipping services, and this may impact their choice of most preferred vs. least preferred shipping line. Concludes by giving recommendations on how service firms can mitigate and be vigilant for service recovery problems.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper provides a framework for applying JIT to processes in the service sector, with the goal of investigating how JIT principles can be implemented in services.
Abstract: Confronting the challenges of global competition, companies are focusing more on the needs of customers to improve product quality and customer service. The manufacturing sector has long been aware of the need to reduce waste as a means to reduce costs and improve product quality. Just‐in‐time (JIT), the formalized process of waste reduction, has achieved a strong foothold in the manufacturing sector. The service sector, however, has not been as quick to recognize the benefits of JIT. Services are much like manufacturing in that both employ processes that add value to the basic inputs used to create the end product. JIT focuses on the process, not the product. It can, therefore, be applied to any process within manufacturing or service operations. This paper provides a framework for applying JIT to processes in the service sector, with the goal of investigating how JIT principles can be implemented in services.

Patent
09 Jun 2000
TL;DR: In this paper, an interactive media service system is implemented such that the plurality of rental options can be executed by the user in a requested active media session, and the system operator is provided an interface to the programmable media services server.
Abstract: The present invention provides a method for an interactive media services system to provide media to a user through an interactive media services client device. The client device is coupled to a programmable media services server device. The method includes the step of implementing an interactive media guide. Additionally, the client device is implemented to present the interactive media guide to the user. A system operator is provided an interface to the programmable media services server. Control options are provided within the interface to allow the system operator to configure a plurality of rental options available to the user. Finally the interactive media service system is implemented such that the plurality of rental options can be executed by the user in a requested active media session.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a conceptualization of the role of service in global supply chain management is presented, which can be used as a starting point for discussion and further research in this area.
Abstract: Value‐added services expand manufacturing organizations’ ability to compete beyond traditional measures of manufacturing competitiveness such as cost, quality, flexibility, and delivery. This concept of expanding the roles of factories to include service has received considerable attention and wide acceptance among both researchers and practitioners. For example, recent empirical studies have demonstrated that manufacturing performance, particularly delivery performance can be enhanced through expanded service roles that focus on effective information flows within the company and to external customers. Despite such benefits, the scope of analysis has been limited to individual manufacturing organizations. Given the realities of global competition, practitioners require knowledge that extends beyond individual organizations. The domain of their problems includes the complexities of interactions with multiple stakeholders along global supply chains. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to extend the concept of the service factory to global supply chains. Specifically, the approach will be to provide a conceptualization of the role of service in global supply chain management that can be used as a starting point for discussion and further research in this area. We provide several propositions and conclude with implications for both researchers and practitioners.

Proceedings ArticleDOI
Gautam Kar1, A. Keller, S. Calo1
10 Apr 2000
TL;DR: The concept of "service management domains" which are virtual domains built from resources and dependency relationships pertaining to physically monitored domains in the network management layer form the basis for managing fault, performance and service level agreements related to application service offerings.
Abstract: This paper proposes a novel approach for managing IP-based services and applications, reflecting the authors' experience with the IBM Global Network. It describes how one can extend the existing network and systems management paradigms to address problems in the management of application services hosted by network service providers (NSP). We introduce the concept of "service management domains" which are virtual domains built from resources and dependency relationships pertaining to physically monitored domains in the network management layer. They form the basis for managing fault, performance and service level agreements related to application service offerings.

Journal ArticleDOI
John A. Buzacott1
TL;DR: A categorization of service system structures based on an analysis of their relative performance and how this performance is affected by the nature of the tasks that have to be performed is developed.

PatentDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a system and method is provided for real-time teleconferencing, where one of the participants is deaf or hearing-impaired, and each participant has an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) system and a chat service system such as AOL Instant Messenger™.
Abstract: A system and method is provided for real time teleconferencing, where one of the participants is deaf or hearing-impaired. In one aspect of the system and method, each participant has an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) system and a chat service system, such as AOL Instant Messenger™. Each participant may have a different type of ASR system, as well as a different type of chat service system. It is not necessary that the deaf or hearing-impaired participant have an ASR system. For each participant, the participant's ASR system transcribes the speech of the participant and provides it to the participant's chat service system, which translates the transcribed text into the chat service message in the format of the participant's chat service system. An Integration Server receives all the participant's chat messages, which have various formats, and translates them into the format used by the chat service system of the deaf or hearing-impaired participant, thus allowing her to see the transcribed text of the conversation between the other participants. In addition, the deaf or hearing-impaired participant inputs text to her chat service system, which creates a formatted message text. The Integration Server receives this formatted chat message and translates it into the formats of the remaining participant's chat service systems, so that the remaining participants see the comments of the deaf or hearing-impaired participant. In other aspects, the teleconferencing system and method is used to connect disparate chat service systems, without necessarily including a deaf or hearing-impaired participant.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors examines an approach to the reform agenda that avoids the more dramatic responses of privatisation, corporatisation and large-scale contracting out while still focusing on achieving commercial principles in public sector service delivery.
Abstract: There is an international trend to contestability and marketisation in the delivery of public services. The underlying foundation of these trends is that competition results in improved outcomes such as greater efficiency, higher quality of service, a clearer focus on customers and better value for money. This paper examines an approach to the reform agenda that avoids the more dramatic responses of privatisation, corporatisation and large‐scale contracting out while still focusing on achieving commercial principles in public sector service delivery. Commercialisation, in this context, provides a way of developing commercial arrangements yet maintains service delivery within the public sector and offers the possibility of retaining important social objectives.

Patent
27 Jul 2000
TL;DR: In this article, a method for coordinating or arranging services such as automotive glass repair services for the policyholders of an insurance company, and an apparatus for practicing the method is described.
Abstract: The invention relates to a method of coordinating or arranging services, such as automotive glass repair services for the policyholders of an insurance company, and to an apparatus for practicing the method The method includes providing a database of service providers, obtaining service need information regarding a customer, selecting at least a portion of the service providers in the database based on the service need information, ranking the selected service providers, and choosing one of the ranked service providers to perform the service

Patent
Lundy Lewis1
23 May 2000
TL;DR: A service level agreement is a contract between a supplier and a customer that identifies services supported by a network, service parameters for the services, and service levels (e.g., acceptable levels) for each service parameter as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Method and apparatus for service level management, wherein business processes are composed of services. A state of the service is defined by one or more service parameters, and the service parameters depend upon performance of network components that support the service, e.g., component parameters. The state of the service may depend, for example, on a collection of service parameter values for availability, reliability, security, integrity and response time. A service level agreement is a contract between a supplier and a customer that identifies services supported by a network, service parameters for the services, and service levels (e.g., acceptable levels) for each service parameter.