Modulization in the service industry : a case study on modulization tendencies in the Norwegian package tour market.

摘要

The thesis argues that Norwegian package tour companies follow a path towardsmodulization of their service offerings, meaning that a service is divided into smallerstandardized parts so that the customer can put together his own version of the service. Thisapproach solves the dilemma between rationalizing service production, especially massproducedservices, and offering the customer individual choices to satisfy their needs anddeliver added value. The thesis will also argue that innovation is entwined with the changesrelating to modulization, and that it is imperative for service companies to embraceinnovation as a part of their transformation. The modulization theory is taken from JonSundbo’s article: Modulization of Service Production and a Thesis of Convergence BetweenService and Manufacturing Organizations (1994). The results show that the case companiesclearly follow trends leading to modulization and are in the advanced stages of applying it totheir service products. This trend is likely to continue and be gradually applied to all theirproduct offerings in the future.