Oxford Learning Lab

What do companies like IBM, HP, Unisys, GE, Ericsson, ABB, Michelin, and Nokia have in common? Despite working in very different industries and being of very different size and culture, they have all had to consider an important strategic issue. They have had to re-assess the importance of service to their business. With a product manufacturing heritage, most had seen service as a cost. For them it used to mean either the repair or support of equipment that had been sold to customers ("operational services") or advising them on how to use that equipment more effectively ("professional services"). Yet, following recent changes to the Western economies, there are very few sectors within them where service is not important to profit, customer relationships and growth. For instance, suppliers of domestic appliances and electronic entertainment products have learnt to increase product line profits through guarantees, extended warranty and maintenance. In retail, supermarkets now offer a range of services (such as insurance and legal help) in addition to consumer products. The car industry, on the other hand, having offered associated financial services for many years, has had to take the effect of "after care" on repeat purchase much more seriously. So, the senior managers of many manufacturing companies are now trying to create revenue and profit from service. Yet, this is a completely different type of business and involves massive change. It changes: operations, people management, finances, financial management, sales, brand strategy and marketing. In fact, there is very little which doesn't change when a product company seriously moves into the service industries. This presentation sets out to examine them and to find out what, from these companies' experiences, can be drawn into more generic lessons.

In 2006 the computer giant, IBM, announced the start of a massive advertising campaign called: "Innovation that matters." It included TV, print, outdoor and Web advertising aimed at positioning the company as supplying the means for corporations to i [...]

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The proactive creation of new products has been established practice for many years in a number of different manufacturing sectors. Leading organisations in those markets where this approach to new product innovation is a critical business skill have [...]

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Despite the fact that technology networks are the foundation of much of modern society, the services provided by technology companies and utilities have been a relatively neglected area of study. Books and conferences have been held on the marketing [...]

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The professional services sector of the world's economies is vast and varied. It encompasses a wide variety of businesses whose offer is based around specialist skill or knowledge. They range from executive search firms, recruitment agencies, legal p [...]

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