ICT - Impact on services

The state of service management practice and the developments in ICT-efficiency research prompt the call for managerial relevance, normative theory building and the conceptualization and measurement of the impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on service process efficiency. Drawing on theoretical insights from economic and behavioral literature, this article deduces a model of the service processes, embedded in the work-system of the individual branch (or service-outlet). The measurement follows a two-step methodology that first assesses compared-to-best efficiency, using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), and subsequently explains efficiency differences using a regression framework. An inter-disciplinary approach bases the first step on econometric logic, while the second takes its foundation in behavioral sciences, and information system research.