Innovation in the U.S. Service Sector

Using a cutting-edge structure, where a current description of the service sector and up-to-date case studies are compared and contrasted with innovative activity in manufacturing, this book contributes towards a better theoretical understanding of innovation in the U.S. service sector.

The U.S. service sector is the largest sector in the U.S. economy and accounts for an increasingly significant share of U.S. gross domestic product, currently 68 percent. Both in the United States, as well as in other industrialized nations, the service sector is a dynamic component of economic activity and growth. As pervasive and economically important as the service sector is, innovative activity in service-sector firms remains somewhat of an enigma; it is not well understood and not well defined because it differs dramatically from the traditional model of innovation in manufacturing. Innovation in the U.S. Service Sector fills this void, placing emphasis on the United States, but with global relevance.

It is essential reading for all students of business and management, economics and political science.

Author Biography

Michael P. Gallaher is Director of the RTI International’s Technology, Energy and Environment Program, and his research focuses on modeling the economic impact of new technologies.

Albert N. Link is Professor of Economics at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, USA. His research has generally been within the areas of innovation policy, university technology transfer strategy, and the economics of R&D.

Jeffrey E. Petrusa is an Associate Economist at RTI International in the Technology, Energy and Environment Program, where he specializes in technology adoption, and industrial innovation.