Services Customization Using Web Technologies

The Internet gives the consumer almost unlimited choice in products. At the same time, it causes a globalization of consumer habits and tastes. One important question that arises is: Does the Internet and the World Wide Web offer the same opportunities for choice of services as they do for products? Services Customization Using Web Technologies aims to advance our understanding of Web-related concepts, approaches, and technologies revolving around the core theme of e-service customization. Limitless e-service choice can become possible on the Web only through customization. Understanding such customization on the Web, applied at a mass market level, in a cost efficient manner, will present an unprecedented opportunity for both the industry and the consumers. For both researchers and practitioners, understanding that as service customization accelerates through other types of industries and consumers, we will experience, the benefits of service customization in many more areas of everyday life.

Kardaras (Athens U. of Economics and Business, Greece) and Karakostas (City U., London, UK) review the techniques and technologies currently available for customizing services delivered over the Web and explore several approaches to service customization by visual composition and discovery. The authors propose a methodology for integrating business strategies with service characteristics, organizational process design, and IT solutions, and address the hard and soft aspects of service customization by drawing on cognitive and fuzzy logic theories. Two case studies apply the methods to the patient admittance process at Athens Hospital and personal bank loan approval. --Annotation ©2012 Book News Inc. Portland, OR