Exploring the Diversity of Service Worlds in the Service Economy

The transformation of modern economies into predominantly service-based economies is happening on a global scale. While services are not new, the scale and complexity of globally dispersed services are growing rapidly. These transformations are enabled by—and often dependent on—information technologies and are fueled by processes of globalization. Transformational change provides opportunities for innovation in business models, collaborations, and work practices but also presents challenges to established practices within industries and organizations. The aims of the IFIP Working Group 8.2 Conference on IT in the Service Economy were to better understand the possibilities and challenges of these transformations and to examine key implications for organizations, their employees, and IT professionals in the 21 century service economy.