Ng, Irene C. L., Vargo, Stephen L. and Smith, Laura A. (2012) Reconceptualising service through a service-dominant logic. Working Paper. Coventry: Warwick Manufacturing Group. Service Systems Research Group Working Paper Series (Number 02/12).

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Abstract

Defining the nature of service has been a challenge to researchers. Early work by Baker (1981) highlighted that while there seemed to be a widespread consensus on the importance of services, precise definitions are difficult, owing to the varied nature of service industries. Most service definition surround the idea of “activities” or “processes” and the word “service industry” is widely used to denote an industrial sector that “do(es) things for you, they don’t make things” (Silvestro and Johnston 1990, p. 206). Current literature in service seems to suggest that the term “services” is still without a definition that is generally accepted (Blois 1974, Minter 1982, Lovelock 1983, Drechsler 1990, Vargo and Lusch 2004, 2008). Early researchers such as Rathmell (1966) made a fundamental distinction in considering a good as a thing (noun) and a service as an act (verb). The former was an object whereas the latter was a deed or an effort. He further explained that products were located along a goods-service continuum, with pure goods at one end and pure services at the other, but with most products falling between these two extremes. Mitchell and Greatorex (1993) on the other hand, argued that goods and services are different but “what there is less agreement about is the way in which they differ and the extent to which these differences are relevant and significant from a marketing perspective” (p.179). This view is not ubiquitous as, even in the early days of service research, there were still considerable differences in opinion as to whether goods and services are fundamentally distinct (Bateson 1977; Judd 1964; Lovelock 1980; Uhl and Upah 1983; Wyckham, Fitzroy, and Mandry 1975).

Item Type:	Working or Discussion Paper (Working Paper)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HF Commerce
Divisions:	Faculty of Science > WMG (Formerly the Warwick Manufacturing Group)
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Service industries, Customer services
Series Name:	Service Systems Research Group Working Paper Series
Publisher:	Warwick Manufacturing Group
Place of Publication:	Coventry
ISSN:	2049-4297
Official Date:	2012
Dates:	Date Event 2012 Available
Number:	Number 02/12
Number of Pages:	14
Status:	Not Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access

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