July 19 to 21, 2004
Beijing, China
http://www.rccm.tsinghua.edu.cn/ieee-sssm04/

Sponsored by

• Service Systems and Organization Committee, IEEE Systems, Man and Cybernetics Society
• School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University

A nation's economic evolution typically includes the mechanical, electrical and information stages, during which the primary focus is on agriculture/mining, manufacturing/construction and services, respectively. The living standard addressed at each stage pertains to level of subsistence, quality of goods, and quality of life, respectively. All advanced economies are at the information stage where services and quality of life are emphasized. In these economies, services - including wholesale/retail, business/professional, education, government, health care, finance/insurance/real estate, transportation, telecommunications, etc. - comprise the majority of the gross national product and employs the majority of the workers.

As an interdisciplinary domain, system theory can be productively applied to the service sector. The holism of system theory can provide an integrating framework for designing, refining and operating service systems, including the fields of marketing and organizational behavior (which focuses on both the input - i.e., customer or service co-producer - and the output - i.e., service quality) and operations management (which focuses on the process - i.e., service system activities). Additionally, advanced information technologies (including wireless, geographic positioning, and e-commerce) can serve to enhance service attributes and productivity.

Authors are invited to submit their original and unpublished work related to service systems and service management, including research, theory, development, and applications. Interdisciplinary research and service information technology are of interest. Contributions in related areas are also welcome.

General Co-Chairs

• Jian Chen    Tsinghua University, China
• James M. Tien    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA

Program Committee

• D. Berg    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA
• M. Bitner    Arizona State University, USA
• D. Bowen    Oxford Brookes University, UK
• X. Q. Cai    Chinese University of Hong Kong, HK, China
• J. Chen    Tsinghua University, China
• J. A. Fitzsimmons    University of Texas at Austin, USA
• H. Jain    University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, USA
• C.Y. Lee    Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, HK, China
• Y. Nakamori    Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Japan
• R. T. Rust    University of Maryland, USA
• A. P. Sage    George Mason University, USA
• Y. Shi    University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA
• L.Y. Shi    University of Wisconsin - Madison, USA
• Y. J. Shi    University of Cambridge, UK
• J. M. Tien    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA
• C. C. White III     Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
• G. Yu    University of Texas at Austin, USA
• C. J. Zhao    Tsinghua University, China

Topics of Interest

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

–	Interdisciplinary Research of Service Concept
	•	strategy and quality
	•	customer behavior: customer satisfaction, customer retention, etc
	•	service impact model: financial performance, return on quality, etc
	•	service operations management: layout and queuing theory, inventory models, yield management, etc
	•	agent theory: agent screening, agent compensation, etc
	•	other related research: process reengineering, supply chain management, etc.
–	Service Information Technology
	•	data mining
	•	artificial intelligence
	•	e-business
	•	other information technology
–	Study of High Contact Service Systems
	•	health care
	•	retail
	•	professional services
	•	emerging services

Call for Contributed Papers

Papers on issues related to service systems and service management are welcome. The papers should be written in English. The first page of each paper must include the following information: title of the paper; name(s) and affiliation(s) of the authors; abstract of the paper; postal address, phone and fax numbers, and email address of the corresponding author. Papers will be peer-reviewed for technical merit and content. To be eligible for publication in the Conference proceedings, an accepted paper must be presented at the Conference by one of the authors.

Call for Invited Sessions and Tracks

The goal of invited sessions (5 papers) and invited tracks (at least two sessions) is to provide focused discussions on new topics or innovative applications. Each prospective session/track organizer must submit a proposal, including the title of the session, and a list of authors with extended abstracts.

Important Dates

• March 10, 2004: Abstract submission due
• April 10, 2004: Acceptance notification
• May 20, 2004: Full papers submission & Pre-registration due
  
• July 19 to 21, 2004: 2004 International Conference on Service Systems and Service Management in Beijing

Registration

Registration fee: US$300 before May 20, 2004, and US$350 afterwards (Payment methods will be specified around April 10, 2004)
The registration fee will cover meeting rooms, facilities, conference proceedings, one banquet, and lunches for July 19-21, 2004

Paper Submission

Please send papers (in PDF or Word) to: Lifen Wu,
Research Center for Contemporary Management, Tsinghua University 100084, Beijing, P.R.China
Email: ICSSSM04@em.tsinghua.edu.cn
Tel:+86-62789928, Fax:+86-62784555
Please indicate ICSSSM04 in the subject during your submission

Futher Information

For further information about the Conference:

Please contact:

Ms. Helen Lifen Wu
Research Center for Contemporary Management
Tsinghua University 100084, Beijing, P.R.China
Tel: 86-10-62789928
Fax: 86-10-62784555
Email: ICSSSM04@em.tsinghua.edu.cn