SERVICES SCIENCE
Although computer science is now a fixture in higher education, a couple of
decades ago academic purists scoffed at the idea that it was a real science
-- and argued that any discipline to which the word "science" has to be
fixed is no science at all. Now the same kind of debate is taking place
about "services science." New York Times journalist Steve Lohr says that
"scientists and engineers tend to regard what is taught in business schools
as a mushy combination of anecdotes, success stories and platitudes, wrapped
in jargon. Put a few success stories together, and they become a 'best
practice'." But one of service science's strongest defenders, Cal-Berkeley
professor Henry Chesbrough, argues: "We in academia have to find ways to
contribute research to improving our economic performance in services and to
help students succeed in this knowledge-based services economy." IBM, which
previously championed computer science, is now championing services science
by sponsoring workshops, awarding research grants and helping develop course
materials. In fact, IBM is itself one of the best examples of the shift
toward services, for it has evolved from being just a computer maker to a
company that 's moving into sophisticated technology services for every
aspect of business. (New York Times 18 Apr 2006)
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