Managing Service Companies : Strategies for Success


Rs. 2271.29

Service businesses now account for some 60% of the world's economic activity, and finding a formula for managing them successfully, for profit, has become akin to the quest for the holy grail. This book does not set out to provide yet another summary of management ideas on the subject, but to show in depth how a number of major European companies have achieved service success and to explore the fundamental issues which underpin this. In this, the book is neither purely a report nor a textbook, since it goes beyond simple reportage of 'what was done' and the key results to exploring and explaining the underlying concepts. It is, therefore, of practical value to the manager who wants to understand 'how' he can apply the thinking. The book is primarily based on an original research programme, carried out in 1990-91 and funded by the Economist Intelligence Unit and KIA Management Consultants, which comprised: In-depth discussions with the management and staff of eight service companies located in Denmark, France, Sweden, and the UK - five of these had already achieved long-run success, the other three had embarked on major change in recent years. Ad hoc discussions with another ten or so companies in these countries and in Germany, Holland, and Switzerland. 2700 questionnaires sent to the staff of 24 companies (the eight core companies plus 16 others) probing their understanding of their organization's objectives, the way they did their work and what they thought of their customers. These questionnaires, processed and analyzed by a leading market research company, give a unique insight into what makes some businesses succeed where others fail. Further work was then carried out in 1993, both updating the research with existing contributors and creating further in-depth discussion with three UK companies. Success in any business comes from strategies that ensure that an organization has a purpose, and that resources are used to achieve this aim effectively and consistently over time. Service organizations can only do this through people, both staff and customers. Staff not only execute the plans but are, in virtually every aspect, the focus of activity if service is to be delivered consistently; customers then help shape and form this delivery. Success using such strategies cannot be measured in the short term since external variables or luck may play a much bigger role; it must, therefore, be measured over the long term. The core organizations in our study hall had all either demonstrated such success over 20 years or more or, in going through a process of change in recent years, demonstrated that they were taking a fundamental - and long-term - view. Their results, both in financial terms and with their markets supported this. This book shows the key factors that make for this long-term success as well as providing a framework for debating and judging service initiatives.
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