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A Medical Cyber-Physical System (MCPS) represents a sophisticated healthcare framework seamlessly integrating cyber and physical elements to enhance medical processes, diagnostics, and patients. The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the healthcare system has been pivotal in advancing intelligent MCPS and ushering in an era of advanced healthcare solutions. The paradigm of smart hospitals aspires to implement intelligent solutions seamlessly integrating hardware and software to control, supervise, and monitor patients while assisting healthcare professionals. Such solution is essential for smart decision-making and enhancing healthcare services. However, complete utilization of this intelligent MCPS relies on an effective framework that should facilitate the interaction among patients, medical devices, AI services and hospital staff. This paper introduces a Digital Twin (DT)-based Smart Medical Cyber-Physical System (DT-MCPS) designed to enhance smart hospitals. Leveraging DT technology, DT-MCPS constructs a virtual replica of the hospital, facilitating precise control and supervision of patient care, coupled with service optimization through comprehensive data integration. DT-MCPS promotes personalized decision-making by seamlessly integrating medical records and real-time monitoring of physiological data, enabling predictive insights into disease progression. Moreover, DT-MCPS employs a model-based platform founded on web services to monitor the patient’s state in real-time while accurately simulating the hospital medical systems workflows and contributing to long-term health management. Experimental results showcase the efficacy of DT-MCPS in enhancing hospitalization services, streamlining real-time control, and achieving highly precise personalized patient diagnostics.

This paper examines India's role in services outsourcing within Asia. It provides a brief overview of the global as well as Indian services outsourcing industry. The core section examines India's relationship with other Asian countries such as China, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia in service outsourcing. It examines the extent to which these countries pose a competitive challenge to India and concludes that at this time, India is far ahead although it is likely to face growing competition as its costs rise. The paper highlights the need to move beyond this comparative paradigm and to examine the complementary and collaborative opportunities that exist between India and other Asian countries in services outsourcing. It concludes that there is considerable scope for such synergies and that India and other Asian countries can form different parts of a larger regional or global delivery model. Regional and bilateral agreements within Asia can also facilitate this process.

In the past decade, China has begun to develop the agricultural cooperatives. The service function is the most important reason for cooperatives’ existence. This paper formulates an analytical framework regarding the realization of services in cooperatives from the perspective of agricultural industrialization. Firstly, the definition, measurement and determinants of service realization are analyzed theoretically. Then, the realization of services, as well as influencing the service realization are examined empirically regarding grain, vegetable, fruit, livestock and chicken in the Zhejiang, Sichuan and Heilongjiang provinces. The paper concludes that product characteristics, resources owned by members, entrepreneurship of managers and incentives to managers have significant and positive impacts on the service realization.

The SHARE project seeks to apply information technologies in helping design teams gather, organize, re-access, and communicate both informal and formal design information to establish a "shared understanding" of the design and design process. This paper presents the visions of SHARE, along with the research and strategies undertaken to build an infrastructure toward its realization. A preliminary prototype environment is being used by designers working on a variety of industry sponsored design projects. This testbed continues to inform and guide the development of NoteMail, MovieMail, and Xshare, as well as other components of the next generation SHARE environment that will help distributed design teams work together more effectively on the Internet.

Customized goods and services occur when their respective supply and demand chains are managed in a simultaneous and real-time manner. From a research perspective, we classify the methods that are employed in the management of these chains, based on whether supply and/or demand are flexible or fixed. Interestingly, our classification scheme highlights a critical and rewarding research area at which both supply and demand are flexible, thus manageable. Simultaneous management of supply and demand chains sets the stage for mass customization which is concerned with meeting the needs of an individualized customer market. Simultaneous and real-time management of supply and demand chains, in turn, set the stage for real-time mass customization (e.g. wherein a tailor first laser scans an individual's upper torso and then delivers a uniquely fitted jacket within a reasonable period, while the individual is waiting). The benefits of real-time mass customization cannot be over-stated as products and services become indistinguishable and are co-produced in real-time, resulting in an overwhelming economic advantage. Customized goods and services can only be achieved through sophisticated data mining techniques that can define the customization requirements from both a supply and a demand chain perspective, techniques that can obtain pertinent information from the mass of non-homogeneous data, in order to make informed customization decisions.

This study explores differences in decision making processes of public and private organizations in the service industry when they acquire information technologies (IT). The service sector has become increasingly important for economic growth and wealth in the United States. It is the fastest growing sector among the three traditional sectors: goods, manufacturing and services. Aside from the fast growing privately organized service business, public organizations have played an important role as service providers for many years. The public sector has also undergone significant changes towards privatizations. Public service organizations have started to compete with the private sector. Thus, they are forced to improve the speed and efficiency of their decision making processes. The study accomplishes this by specifically investigating IT-purchasing decisions of three private corporations, one academic institution and the United Nations. The study makes use of expert interviews done on site or on line with mid and high-level decision makers of the five organizations.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to understanding innovation dynamics in services, in particular the link between innovation and productivity. A methodology to explain this link is suggested. Instead of establishing a single, direct connection between innovation and labor productivity, as in earlier approaches in the services literature, a simultaneous equations model is used. We put forward an extended version of the CDM (Crepon, Duguet and Mairesse) model, incorporating two feedback effects and using innovation activities rather than the more restrictive R&D proxy. Activities prior to the innovation implementation are also taken into account allowing for direct and indirect effects on labor productivity. Moreover, we discuss and handle the oftentimes overlooked methodological problems affecting this relationship. Micro data for ten service sectors in Portugal are used to estimate the model. The existence of a Schumpeterian virtuous cycle is confirmed, pointing to a mechanism reinforcing innovation investment returns. We find that innovation activities have a positive impact on labor productivity, but no evidence was found of a significant direct effect of innovation output. Labor productivity also improves with management capabilities. Relationships with customers, suppliers and cooperation partnerships significantly increase the probability of innovating, suggesting that stimulating organizational networking is a key element in a service firm’s innovation strategy.

This collection of essays demonstrates that research on services innovation is now a vibrant and mature field within innovation studies. Examining the development of this field, and the contributions of these essays in particular, we argue that the time is right for a "marriage" between the study of services innovation and mainstream innovation studies. While there is a great deal to be learned from the study of services innovation, treating this as a separate area of study runs the risk that important lessons for the study of innovation within manufacturing and other sectors may be lost. These essays point the way toward more integrated approaches, which are particularly suitable for studying innovation processes in the knowledge-based economy.

Innovation processes in services remain under-researched, but recently large-scale surveys have been conducted which allow for a more systematic appraisal of the level and scope of innovation in services. To date, much of the literature on innovation in services focuses on the adoption and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Innovation in services, and services innovation, should, however, be understood in broader terms, and this understanding should extend to non-technological innovation. This paper presents evidence from a recent large-scale survey of innovation amongst German commercial service firms. It shows that services are much more active with respect to innovation than is widely thought. They are innovative in terms of being producers of service and process innovations. From our broader perspective, we examine the pattern of innovation as it relates to the standardisation-particularisation of service products, across a range of service sectors and across firms of various sizes. The production of bespoke or customised services shaped by client inputs has long been considered a defining characteristic of many services, and one that has affected their innovation potential. The present analysis reveals a pattern of diversity in behaviour, which reflects the diversity amongst service firms, and demonstrates the need for more subtle and differentiated analyses of services and services innovation.

This article examines the dynamic relationships between competitive strategy and information technology (IT)-based product and process innovation in financial services. The study draws on detailed case studies of five IT-based innovations: Interbranch Online service, Automated Teller Machine service, Credit Card service, Remote Banking service, and Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale service. It examines the development of these innovations in the Thai banking industry from the mid-1960s. The results indicate the limitations of the Reverse Product Cycle model approach, and an alternative conceptual framework and a country-specific innovation model are proposed. Possible avenues for further research on innovation in services and service innovation are suggested, together with steps towards developing a unified approach to innovation and competition for both the service and manufacturing functions.

Services form an important part of the economy today. Innovation for service firms is as important as for manufacturing, but the innovation process for service firms is comparatively little studied. In this paper, I review the literature there is on the innovation process for service firms, and make two suggestions for formalizing that process. The common thought that service firms do not innovate does not hold. Innovation is, however, often ad hoc for services, and it can therefore be difficult to measure firms' innovation efforts. These points are related to issues of appropriability of the benefits of innovation in services. The two issues primarily discussed in this paper — the possibilities of formalizing and appropriating in case of new service development — are central issues for service firms. It is here that this paper offers some contributions to the existing literature; it does not so much present an overview thereof.

This study investigates the effects of openness on the different stages of the innovation process and further on firm performance. More specifically, it concentrates on inter-firm cooperation and information sourcing practices, which embody the implementation of an inbound open innovation strategy. Cooperation and information sourcing from market actors is contrasted with cooperation and information sourcing from competitors. To different extents, these actors may shape research and development (R&D) investments, affect success of the innovation process and contribute directly as well as through the innovation process to the labour productivity. Effects of these simultaneous practices on the innovation process are investigated in service sector firms, which have so far been largely neglected in (open) innovation studies. Results indicate that cooperation with and information sourcing from competitors positively influence innovation performance while market cooperation and information sourcing is resource-intensive and deteriorates performance on the short term.

This study contributes to the scarce stream of literature that concentrates on measuring the firm-level effects of knowledge management (KM) strategies on innovation performance. It evaluates the impact of codification and personalisation strategies, both individually and jointly, distinguishing between innovation propensity and innovation output. The research applies a knowledge production function (KPF) approach to the Community Innovation Survey (CIS) data for Luxembourg. Reliance on internationally agreed definitions and focus on an open international economy largely dominated by innovative service firms provide an original and significant contribution to the available empirical literature. Findings indicate that personalisation and codification effects on innovation propensity are highly comparable. In contrast, personalisation exerts a positive effect on innovation output, whereas codification does not. Results further advocate that codification affects output only when combined with personalisation. However, the adoption of mixed strategies does not seem to be more effective than a pure personalisation strategy.

The ability of firms to maximise their innovative potential is fundamental to economic growth. The successful implementation of human resource management (HRM) practices is important for firm performance, and there is a growing understanding of the benefits to firms when HRM practices are applied together. We investigate if HRM practices are significantly more effective when implemented as ‘bundles’ or ‘systems’ of complementarities than when they are implemented individually in Irish manufacturing and service firms. The National Workplace Survey (2009a), a dataset rich with information on HRM practices at the firm level, is employed. HRM bundles relating to performance management and appraisal, knowledge sharing and involvement and empowerment in decision-making are all positively associated with innovation in manufacturing and service firms, and bundles of flexible employment contracts practices positively influence innovation in service firms. In summary, HRM practices when applied together, rather than in isolation, are important for firm innovation.

Innovation management is inherently inter-disciplinary, but it is much more than simply applying business and management disciplines to innovation, and over time the field has developed a distinct body of knowledge. However, in this paper, we argue that the field of innovation management has failed to fully benefit from the proliferation of relevant research because much of this work has not been sufficiently coherent and cumulative. One reason for this, we propose, is the propensity to follow and fit research and publications into contemporary fads rather than to ground work in more fundamental themes and challenges. We present two examples of such fads, open innovation and business model innovation, to illustrate the trend. Finally, we suggest some more fundamental integrating themes and management challenges, drawing upon the latest edition of Managing Innovation (Tidd, J and J Bessant (2018). Managing Innovation: Integrating Technological, Market and Organizational Change, Sixth Edition. New York: Wiley).¹

Involving customers in the development of new products and services helps firms understand customer needs, increasing the likelihood of meeting those needs and expectations. Although a large body of literature addresses the implications of customer involvement for project performance, the results of previous research are somewhat inconsistent. This paper explores this issue by examining the differing impact of customer involvement on the development of new products and new services. We propose that the role of customer involvement differs for these two types of innovations, with involvement in the early stages more important for products and involvement in the launch stage more important for services. Our results, based on a comprehensive dataset on customer involvement in innovation, are consistent with such a pattern, suggesting that more attention should be paid to the conditional benefits of customer involvement in different types of solution development.

This special issue of the Journal of International Commerce, Economics and Policy is dedicated to investigating the globalization of services and its implications for economies. The papers in this issue address various dimensions of the globalization of services, including economic linkages between countries through trade and investment flows, people mobility and outsourcing, protectionism in services, multilateral negotiations in services, the political economy of service sector reforms and the impact of services globalization on the domestic economy. The evidence on some of these dimensions is highlighted by presenting the specific case of the Indian economy where services have been an important growth driver and have facilitated the country's integration with the world market. Together, the papers in this issue aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the issues surrounding the participation of economies in services trade and investment flows from a cross-country, national and sub-national perspective.

The share of developing countries in exports of world services increased from 15% in 2000 to 21% in 2011. Interestingly, in many of the developing economies, the growth in services exports is derived from not just traditional services, but also from modern, high-value, skill-intensive services. Given the rising importance of services, this paper develops a widely applicable methodology for evaluating the contribution of the service sector and the potential of using the sector for growth, employment and trade diversification objectives. We summarize a few key indicators for assessing the performance of the services sector using the available cross-country and bilateral trade data on the services sector. The indicators proposed in this paper are fairly general and draw on cross-country databases; however, to illustrate the methodology we use examples of the following nine countries: Brazil, Chile, Egypt, Hungary, India, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, and Ukraine.

This paper examines the supply side drivers of growth in emerging market and developing economics (EMDEs) during the past decades and discusses the role of productivity-enhancing reforms in bolstering future growth prospects. It examines aggregate and sectoral productivity trends including around reform episodes to draw broad policy lessons on what policies are needed to increase productivity. Findings suggest appropriate policies need to be tailored to the stage of economic development and to other pertinent features that give rise to the heterogeneous experiences of EMDEs.

This paper adopts a cross-country, multisector approach to investigate the intra- and inter-industry effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the productivity of 15 emerging market economies in 2000 and 2008. Our main finding is that intra-industry FDI has a large positive effect on total and “exported” labor productivity. The effects of FDI on total factor productivity are much more elusive, both in statistical and economic terms. This result suggests that foreign firms raise the performance of their host economies through a direct compositional effect. Foreign firms tend to be larger and more input intensive and have greater access to foreign markets than domestic firms. Their greater prevalence mechanically increases average labor productivity and export performance.