AMA SERVSIG (Service Special Interest Group) Bylaws
I. Naming of the Group
The group will be known as Service Special Interest Group (in the following abbreviated as SERVSIG).
II. Focus
SERVSIG is for those who want to begin or continue to explore the interdisciplinary field of services marketing, management, engineering, science, and/or arts. The purpose of the group is to foster a dialogue and expand knowledge on services issues among academics, managers, consumers, and government representatives.
The group is designed to meet the needs of academics and practitioners who have been teaching and/or conducting research and/or practicing in the service field and want to explore specific issues in more depth, incorporate services related issues into their courses, exchange ideas regarding services related teaching and/or research issues, or raise awareness of services related issues among managers, government representatives, or among the academic community at large.
The mission of SERVSIG is to be the best platform worldwide for keeping in touch with people, events, and ideas in the service field.
SERVSIG adopted three goals: Open, Flexible, and Fun.
- we strive to be open to new people, new ideas, global contributions, interdisciplinary contributions, practitioner contributions, and to new ways of doing things.
- we strive for the maximum of organizational flexibility (and a minimum of red tape).
- we strive to be a fun organization by being both lighthearted and intellectually nourishing.
Historically, SERVSIG has always been served by a group of enthusiastic officers who fostered and shaped the service community to what it is today. Through the years, SERVSIG has been blessed by the support of many new service colleagues who are passionate about our community and the specific roles evolved as new opportunities to help the community emerged.
Our bylaws regulate the daily work and organization of SERVSIG. You can find them here:
III. Objectives of SERVSIG
SERVSIG has four objectives:
- facilitate interaction among academics, business people, and government representatives on issues related to service,
- promote services related courses including but not limited to services marketing, management, engineering, science, and arts courses,
- foster research on services related issues, and
- disseminate research findings, theoretical contributions, and successful business practices in the service field
IV. Membership
We strive to be open to new service colleagues everywhere. Our membership includes AMA members and affiliated members of SERVSIG. AMA Membership in SERVSIG shall include all AMA members, who indicate a desire to join at the time of initiating or renewing their annual AMA membership. In addition, to follow our global scope, non-AMA member international scholars/practitioners can become affiliated members of SERVSIG. Affiliate member is defined as any individual who has attended at least one of the last two biennial SERVSIG conferences. Note: affiliated membership with SERVSIG does not include membership into the American Marketing Association, or any benefits thereof.
V. Leadership
The leadership of SERVSIG consists of the Board of Directors. The different officers that constitute the Board of Directors are described In the following enumeration of officers and officer roles. Changes to this structure can be made if needed and if supported by a majority of the Board of Directors.
Chair (or Co-Chairs)
The Chair is responsible for coordinating SERVSIG activities with other parts of the AMA, with SERVSIG Officers, with SERVSIG Members, or with external organizations. This activities include SERVSIG conferences and other events; budgeting and planning (absent a SERVSIG Treasurer); advising and coordinating the activities of the other SERVSIG officers; creating and coordinating with the SERVSIG committees for the awarding of SERVSIG’s Best Services Article, Christopher Lovelock Career Contributions award, Emerging Service Scholar award and Best Service Dissertation award. To ensure continuity and familiarity with SERVSIG, Chairs must have served in a prior SERVSIG officer role before becoming eligible (with the exception of the founding year of SERVSIG, all Chairs have held prior positions in SERVSIG).
Since 2013, SERVSIG has strived to maintain a co-chair system (i.e., two individuals sharing the duties of Chair). Chairs are elected for a term of 2 years. Chairs are eligible to serve an additional 2 year term (up to a maximum of 4 years in total).
Treasurer
The Treasurer is responsible for budgeting and planning in coordination with the SERVSIG co-chairs. The officer term is 2 years long, but can be renewed, if the board supports this with the majority
Mentoring Officer (or Co-Mentoring Officers)
The Mentoring Officer is primarily responsible for coordinating the SERVSIG Doctoral Consortium which, by tradition, is held immediately prior to the annual Frontiers in Service Conference. The officer term is usually 2 years long, as we encourage a co-mentoring officer system where new mentoring officers overlap one of those years with a mentoring officer who has helped organize the consortium the year before. This system not only helps officers to share the responsibility of organizing such an important event but also ensures the transfer of experience from one Mentoring Officer to another each year.
Communications & Community Development Officer
The Communications Officer will be primarily responsible for communications with the SERVSIG community, primarily through the creation of a SERVSIG newsletter, and working with the Electronic Media Officer to post news on the website. The officer term is 2 years long, but can be renewed, if a majority of the Board of Directors supports this renewal.
Programs Officer
The Programs Officer is primarily responsible for helping to coordinate special sessions on behalf of the SIG at Summer and Winter AMA conferences and other appropriate venues. The officer term is 2 years long, but can be renewed, if a majority of the Board of Directors supports this renewal.
Electronic Media Officer
The Electronic Media Officer coordinates with the Communications Officer for posting news on the website. The officer term is 2 years long, but can be renewed, if a majority of the Board of Directors supports this renewal.
SERVSIG Conference Officer
The SERVSIG Conference Curator coordinates with academic institutions regarding the hosting of the biennial SERVSIG Conference. The officer term is 2 years long, but can be renewed, if a majority of the Board of Directors supports this renewal.
Regional Officers
SERVSIG strives to have regional officers for all continents where the service research community is strongly represented (i.e. America, Europe, Asia, Australasian). The Regional Officer represents SERVSIG in local events in his/her geographic area, promotes SERVSIG in their regional networks and acts as a close and personal connection point for questions and answers in his/her geographic area. The officer term is 2 years long, but can be renewed, if a majority of the Board of Directors supports this renewal.
Legacy Officer
The Legacy Officer’s duties include providing guidance and historical perspective to the Board of SERVSIG. Because SERVSIG is designed to be a community, to help foster continuity over time, SERVSIG’s founder, Ray Fisk, serves as Legacy Officer.
Eligibility to Serve
All SERVSIG members are eligible to serve as officers. New officers are elected and appointed by the majority of the current SERVSIG Board. The officer term is usually 2 years long (if not specified differently above), but can be renewed, if the board supports this with the majority. Terms shall commence in July of each year. The Chair (or Co-Chairs) of SERVSIG simultaneously serve as Chair of the Board of Directors.Elections
Election of chair will take place in the year before one chair of the co-chair system steps down (see above regulation of co-chair system). Prior to elections, a general Call for Nominations will be made via all SERVSIG communication channels. All SERVSIG members are eligible to vote. Chairs must have first served in a prior officer position within SERVSIG. The Legacy Officer role is to be filled by the founder of SERVSIG, Ray Fisk, in perpetuity.
VI. Further Roles
Committee Chairs and Committee Members
The SERVSIG Chair and Board of Directors are responsible for identifying committee chairs and committee members for the many SERVSIG Awards Committees. These committees are normally composed of five people and every effort is made to ensure continuity of process by asking people who served on such committees to chair them.
SERVSIG International Conference Chair (or Co-Chair)
SERVSIG announces an open competition to host its International Conferences. The winning hosts select their Conference Chairs and select their Conference Committee with the help of the SERVSIG Conference Curator and the SERVSIG Board of Directors.
VII. Sample Activities
SERVSIG actively supports:
- Doctoral consortiums designed to help new Ph.D. candidates pursue successful academic careers that emphasize services research.
- Global conferences dedicated to services research and management (e.g. SERVSIG, Frontiers, QUIS)
- Let’s Talk About Service (LTAS) workshop
- Awarding of SERVSIG’s Best Services Article award
- Awarding of Christopher Lovelock Career Contributions award
- Awarding of SERVSIG’s Emerging Service Scholar award
- Awarding of SERVSIG’s Best Service Dissertation award
- Sharing teaching materials and best practices
VIII. Finances
A budget shall be formulated by the Chair and Treasurer for submission to the American Marketing Association per the requirements of the Academic Council of the American Marketing Association. Conference related expenses of SERVSIG (e.g., audio-visual requirements, SERVSIG receptions, Board Meetings, etc.) should be approved by the Chair prior to their occurrence. All non-conference related expenses must be approved by a majority of the members of the Board of Directors. Reimbursement for all SERVSIG expenditures shall be coordinated through the Chair, or Treasurer, who will requisition funds from the AMA.
IX. Amending the Bylaws
Amending the bylaws of the SERVSIG will follow the following procedures. Recommendations for a specific bylaw change, or addition, should be presented in writing to the Chair of SERVSIG. The Chair will then present the proposed changes to the Board of Directors. Proposals for changes to the bylaws receiving majority support of the voting members of the Board will be approved.