Cullman Symposium Focuses on How Companies Can Compete Through Service; May 26 27 at Fisher College of Business.

(From AScribe)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- As services continue to be one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. economy, companies must make service management a top strategic concern. Currently, nearly 80 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product is comprised of services.

On May 26-27, The Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business will host the 12th biennial W. Arthur Cullman Symposium, titled "Competing through Service," at the Blackwell Hotel in Columbus, Ohio. Through a variety of executive speakers and panelists, participants will discover how top-performing organizations such as Limited Brands, NetJets and the Mayo Clinic compete through the strategic use of service.

Discussions will focus on how to keep front-line employees motivated, how product companies are adding services and the importance of service leadership. Speakers include Les Wexner, chairman and CEO, Limited Brands; Todd R. Barnum, chairman and CEO, Max and Erma's Restaurants, Inc.; Tim Portland, president, Scotts LawnService; Victor F. Trastek, M.D., chair, board of governors, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale; Neeli Bendapudi, director of the Initiative for Managing Services and associate professor of marketing, Fisher College of Business; and Ann Rhoades, president, People Ink. i

In addition to the individual speakers, a variety of service-focused panel discussions will take place. Some of the panelists ...