Trends in Services Sciences in Japan and Abroad

Abstract

American and European universities are taking a new approach to services. By regarding services as part of science and applying scientific methods to solve problems associated with services, they intend to increase productivity and bring about innovations in services, thereby invigorating the economy. This emerging academic discipline is called “Services Sciences, Management and Engineering,” or simply “Services Sciences.” The services here refer to the interactive process of creating economic values between the service provider and the user, and include not only the service industry as a tertiary industry but also the service business in the manufacturing sector. This article explains how services sciences have developed (Chapter 2), what services sciences are (Chapter 3), services sciences in European and American universities (Chapter 4), and the current status of this field of research in Japan (Chapter 5), followed by a conclusion (Chapter 6).