Cécile Clergeau

A decision-making model for the application of the new service system structure based on front-back stage decoupling into nature-based tourism district

Based on the understanding that some of the common problems found in nature-based tourism districts including inefficiency in resource utilisation, environmental pollution and poor service quality are closely related to the imbalance in the front-back stage structure of the entire tourism service system, this paper proposes a new system structure of tourism district based on front-back stage decoupling to solve these problems. Given that the new structure cannot be universally suitable for tourism districts of various natures, a decision-making model based on a comprehensive cost analysis is then provided to support the decision of whether or not to apply the new system structure into a tourism district. It compares the environmental quality costs with service provision costs of the new system structure and the traditional one, and then deduces the required minimum quantity of the standard business units (SBUs) needed, which finally leads to the decision making.

Information systems, task control and service management. An analysis of the customer-contact centers case

This research explores middle managers’ role and attitudes and the way they supervise teams whose tasks are intensively codified via IT. The place, role and legitimacy of middle managers when management tools are embedded in IT are investigated. We use J.D.Reynaud’s social regulation theory that distinguishes three main regulations: autonomous regulation, control regulation and joint regulation. The research proposes to enrich this theory and to analyze the conditions of its application to service area. Based on three case studies in call centers, we point out that middle managers have to negotiate a joint regulatio, but that organizational efficacy of their role depends on their capacity to surpass IT and their prescriptions. In a practical way, and in the light of an enriched social regulation theory, the research emphasizes the necessary conditions to facilitate a performing middle management.