Reading and Managing Service Businesses

Abstract

Reading and managing service businesses is an exercise in identifying challenges being experienced by firms and in identifying and exploring adaptation strategies. These strategies may include alterations to business models, to operational processes, to supply chains, to logistics and to customer relationship management. This chapter introduces service businesses and the concept of ‘service’. Initially, the focus is on exploring the shift towards service-led or service-dominated economies. This includes exploring alternative approaches to classifying service businesses. An approach based on classifying services by the type of experience or output created is developed. The chapter charts the rise of service businesses, activities and employment, but in relation to the whole economy. An overview of the history of the development of service firms, activities and employment is then provided. The chapter concludes by developing an approach to reading service businesses. Electronic Supplementary Material The online version of this chapter (10.1007/978-3-030-52060-1_1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Examining Operation-Based Tangibilization Factors and Their Impact on Patronage of Telecommunication Products in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria: A Multiple Regression Analysis

“…Offering high-quality service is often considered a prerequisite for long-term success and sustainability in today's highly competitive business world (Negi, 2009). Management and service delivery must be in sync for telecommunication firms (Bryson et al, 2020). This phenomenon ensures that management is on the same page as service delivery and increases general comprehension.…”