Organizational issues of utility services
The organization of infrastructure services has long been neglected in research. Monopoly markets led to a top-down, state-led kind of organization. Recent transformations such as deregulation and liberalization have made Utilities discover their customers. In parallel, they have experienced a surge in professionalization of their internal organizational structures. Due to these recent development, particular interest should today be attributed to the interaction between regulators and utilities in the form of private sector participation, resp. of public private partnerships. Furthermore, there is a growing need for developing new organizational models, strategic planning procedures, financing and pricing concepts, infrastructure management etc.,. Special emphasis should be attributed to decision making procedures and technology evaluation, demand side management, contracting, etc.