The Case for Redefining Services

Abstract

Services are a large part of total marketing transactions each year, yet have had little attention in marketing literature. A remedy for this condition is proposed in the form of a redefinition of services and division of all service activities into a threefold grid: Rented Goods Services, Owned Goods Services, and Non-Goods Services.

Perceived service innovativeness, consumer trait innovativeness and patronage intention

“…Service typology literature (cf., Judd, 1964;Lovelock, 1983;Lovelock and Gummesson, 2004;Prabhakaran, 2003;Enis and Roering, 1981;Sasser et al, 1978;Silvestro et al, 1992) has delineated how different services are characterized by unique combinations of several characteristics such as people-centered (e.g., haircut) versus possession-centered (auto repair), complexity of assets and number of co-specialized assets needed, relative salience of tangibles vis-à -vis intangibles, salience of experience and credence qualities, and extent of consumer participation in the service creation and delivery process. We will focus on two primary characteristics, namely people-versus-possessions and the extent of consumer participation (Lovelock, 1983), to provide an example of how various service dimensions gain or lose significance as one moves from a service industry to another.…”

Analysis of competency differences among frontline employees from various service typologies: integrating the perspectives of the organisation and customers

“…In the 1960s, scholars studied variations between the service and manufacturing industries (Judd, 1964), as well as the nature of services (Regan, 1963). By the 1970s and 1980s, scholars proposed categorisations of services (Chase, 1978;Hill, 1977;Lovelock, 1983;Schmenner, 1986;Shostack, 1977;Thomas, 1978).…”

Service attribute-process matrix: A tool for designing and managing services

“…The first attempts to classify services were focused on the distinction between marketing of services and marketing of goods (Bucklin 1962, Judd 1964, Rathmell 1974, Hill 1977, Shostack 1977, Lovelock 1983, Stell and Donoho 1986, Shostack 1987). Chase (1978) Finally, service classification has provided insights and rationale on how some leading service organizations have been able to sustain their competitive positions for decades.…”