A Chinese view of service management in the digital age. A review of the book “The Era of New Services” (Springer, Citic Press, 2024)

Abstract

The service sector is gradually beginning to dominate modern economy, while qualitatively changing in the context of digital transformation. The article is a review of a monograph by a well-known Chinese specialist, which notes an original view of the above-mentioned issue. The latter is conceptualized and considered on a variety of examples (from the experience of China and other countries). The book consists of four unequal parts, which include a total of 11 chapters. The author consistently characterizes service activities essence, highlights the main prospects for service innovations, identifies the possibilities of developing the latter, and also draws attention to the importance of considering a modern person’s preferences in depth. Considerable attention has been paid to the proposed SERVINO system, which makes it possible to increase managing innovative processes efficiency in the service sector. The monograph suggests that digital transformation will not overshadow personality (both a client and an employee), but, on the contrary, will allow considering a person’s interests in the most careful way. The book is written in simple language, it is full of factual information. Its content analysis shows that it can be considered as a universal source of information about service activities management in the digital age that has already begun. A clearly expressed author’s attitude to the issue does not reduce, but, on the contrary, increases the value of this source. At the same time, the monograph marks the undoubted successes of the Chinese economic thought development.