The Development and Emergence of Services Marketing Thought
International Journal of Service Industry Management
ISSN: 0956-4233
Article publication date: 1 March 1994
Abstract
Offers the personal interpretations of authors as participant‐observers together with a data‐based analysis of the evolution of the services marketing literature. Bibliographic analysis of more than 1,000 English language, general services marketing publications, spanning four decades, provides an additional resource. Using an evolutionary metaphor as the framework, traces the literature through three stages: Crawling Out (1953‐79): Scurrying About (1980‐85); and Walking Erect (1986‐present). Shows how the literature has evolved from the early services‐marketing‐is‐different debate to the maturation of specific topics (e.g. service quality, service encounters) and the legitimization of the services marketing literature by major journals. Presents a classification and summary of publications and authors. Closes with discussion and speculation on the future of the services marketing literature.
Keywords
Citation
Brown, S.W., Fisk, R.P. and Jo Bitner, M. (1994), "The Development and Emergence of Services Marketing Thought", International Journal of Service Industry Management, Vol. 5 No. 1, pp. 21-48. https://doi.org/10.1108/09564239410051894
Publisher
:MCB UP Ltd
Copyright © 1994, MCB UP Limited