Systems Approach to Develop a Conceptual Model of the Service Enterprise

Abstract

Considering the characteristics and particularities of services such as inseparability, perishability and variability, which make them ephemeral and little tangible, non-storable, and non-patentable, we can have a clear idea of the complexity that exists in planning, operating and solving problems in service companies. This situation demands the use of a different vision to analyze and study these companies and their problems. Therefore, the systems approach is presented and used for the construction of a conceptual model, as a support framework to situate and organize our perceptions, fix the structure of the problem, delimit the area of interest and define the relevant and non-relevant aspects. With the systems vision, we have been able to use the three basic forms of planning for decision making (strategic, tactical and operative) in the construction of a conceptual model. The methodology used that integrates these three basic forms of planning is presented in a logical-formal guide for the construction of the conceptual model of the service company. This representation identifies the basic elements of a business model such as customers, value proposition, infrastructure and information for decision making, as well as their interactions. The model obtained is simple, relevant, and easy to understand and at the same time does not oversimplify the complex operation of a service company.