An international audience of academic peers provided excellent feedback for two UTC College of Business faculty members who presented research at the Sixth Annual Art and Science of Service Conference in Spain.
The conference, held at the private, international IE Business School in Madrid, included both academic research papers and current industry reports from international companies such as IBM, Accenture, BBVA, and eDiagnostic.
Dr. Diane Halstead and Dr. Keith Richards presented a research paper which explores the trend in high tech service delivery around the globe, specifically, the growth of self-service technologies (SSTs) in service industries.
Halstead, the Mary Harris Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship, said the experience prepares them for the classroom by providing a more extensive array of international examples. Halstead teaches the MBA elective course in Services Marketing.
Richards, Assistant Professor of Marketing, said the experience of meeting this diverse group of colleagues was “invaluable as we prepare UTC students for work in the global economy. UTC students are experiencing a friendly, global invasion here in Chattanooga, and they need to be ready to embrace the world at their doorstep. Attending these types of international events helps me prepare students for careers in the global economy.”
SSTs include the use of a technological interface such as the internet, telephone, computer, interactive TV, kiosks, DVD/CD-ROM to deliver services to customers without the assistance of service personnel. ATMs, pay-at-the-pump gas, online tax preparation, online banking and other financial services, airline and hotel reservation and check-in systems are all examples of SSTs.
