Service Marketing - an introduction

Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject Business economics - Offline Marketing and Online Marketing, grade: Distinction, University of Strathclyde, language: English, abstract: A service has been described as a deed, act or performance. The literature suggests that differences between goods and services exist, resulting in four basic characteristics of services: intangibility, inseparability of production and consumption, heterogeneity, and perishability. Zeithaml and Bitner claim that intangibility is the key determinant of whether an offering is a service or product. These service characteristics have created problems and challenges for managers of services. A recurring theme in service companies is the difficulty managers experience in translating their understanding of customers' expectations into service that employees can understand and execute. This proposition will be discussed in the following.