Education on service science management and engineering: A comparative analysis

Abstract

Approximately 60 % of the world’s workforce is currently employed by either public or private branches of the Service Sector and this value rises to 80 % in developed countries. There is also a tendency towards constant growth in the Service Sector at an international level, with people working in a broad spectrum of areas such as tourism, commerce, logistics, finance, insurance and community, social and personal services. However, and in spite of the fact that society increasingly needs more professionals who are oriented towards this sector, there are hardly any specific training plans for service professionals. This paper presents a comparative analysis about training programs in Service Science Management and Engineering (SSME). This comparative analysis was made during the definition and creation of a new curriculum for training of professionals in SSME which will be taught at the Rey Juan Carlos University, in Madrid, Spain, from the next academic year onwards. The degree is briefly described in this paper and analyzed in the comparative analysis.