International Services Research: Opportunities and Challenges

nternational research in the decision sciences often incorporates the fields of economic development, culture, an- thropology, geography, and communica- tion, to name a few. The challenges presented by the richness of this area of study lead to numerous opportunities for cutting-edge research. International deci- sion sciences are far more complex than purely domestic studies due to the interac- tion of diverse variables unique to the glo- bal environment. There is a need for more international research in the decision sci- ences; this is especially true in the interna- tional service areas of the decision sciences, which are nearly untouched. Because of the customer contact re- quired in many services, there has tradi- tionally been a propensity for service provision to be established locally. In the past few decades international changes have spawned the expansion of global ser- vice businesses. The growth in interna- tional business in general has enlarged the need for international travel and hospital- ity services. Growth in global manufactur- ing has spawned increased need for support services on an international scale. Technological advances in information management have greatly improved the viability of global financial services and have increased productivity and quality of services in widespread locations. However, research has not kept pace with practice in the dramatic expansion of international ser- vices. In this article we share with you one of our international research projects in the hope that more researchers will become interested and involved in this interesting arena of study.