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Measuring Productivity in Services
The wide variety of productivity measurement methods available for use in services is reviewed. The diversity of the service industries has meant that each field has developed its own productivity measures which have often not been widely disseminated due to the lack of a common professional literat...
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Published in: | International journal of service industry management 1990-04, Vol.1 (1), p.46-64 |
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Main Authors: | , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | The wide variety of productivity measurement methods available for
use in services is reviewed. The diversity of the service industries has
meant that each field has developed its own productivity measures which
have often not been widely disseminated due to the lack of a common
professional literature. The available measurement approaches are
outlined, including those from the health sector where there has been a
sizeable effort at productivity research. A classification scheme is
presented to assist in the description and selection of available
service productivity measures. The classification scheme is based on (1)
complexity of inputs and outputs, (2) degree of customisation, and (3)
level of aggregation. The measures of services productivity reviewed are
presented in terms of this classification. An approach is suggested for
the manager to follow in selecting productivity measures according to
this classification and other considerations. While some attributes of
services make productivity measurement difficult, it is argued that it
is not as problematic as some would think and that a number of
approaches are available, especially for the comparison of service units
which tend to be far more numerous and homogeneous than factories. |
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ISSN: | 0956-4233 1758-6704 |
DOI: | 10.1108/09564239010002847 |