Service Marketing Management: A Strategic Perspective, 2nd ed.

Citation

Narasimhan, K. (2009), "Service Marketing Management: A Strategic Perspective, 2nd ed.", Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, Vol. 19 No. 6, pp. 748-749. https://doi.org/10.1108/09604520911005116

Hans Kasper is professor of Services and Retail management at Maastricht University, and also, a director of Etil, a Maastricht based research institute on regional economics. He has published articles in several international journals and written some books. Piet van Helsdingen is lecturer of services Marketing at the Vrije Universiteit and a management trainer and consultant on service concepts in Amsterdam. Professor Mark Gabbott is head of the department of marketing and deputy dean, Faculty of Business and Economics at Monash University.

The book comprises 12 chapters, grouped into three parts, and six case studies that form part 4. It also contains 32 pages of references. Each chapter starts with learning objectives and a clear introduction, and ends with a summary, revision questions for discussion, practical assignments and endnotes.

“Understanding value creation in services” is the theme of part I, and is covered in three chapters. Chapter 1 gives an overview of the service sector by focussing on the components of a service organisation's business environment affecting its strategy and operations. Chapter 2 focuses on marketing management of services. First, the concept of services is defined and then its characteristics are discussed. This is followed by a brief introduction to managing services and then hones in ion the basics of marketing services: market orientation, customer expectations, quality perceptions, key success factors, etc. Chapter 3 deals with the field of buyer behaviour in the pre‐purchase, consumption, and post‐purchase stages, and segmenting the services market.

Part II comprises four chapters and covers strategic aspects of creating value to an organisation's stakeholders. Chapter 4 deals with the basis of service relationships, different types of service interactions (customer‐to‐service, customer‐to‐customer, customer and service environment, and service process), the management of customer relationships, and the role of service brands in building customer relationships. Service quality is covered in chapter 5 and contains a brief discussion on the main conceptual issues, definition and scope. This is followed by an explanation of four service quality models: disconfirmation, attributes (technical and functional), SERVQUAL and Six Sigma approach. Finally, managerial issues associated with service quality, including the problems of balancing service quality with profitability, are covered. The focus of chapter 6 is on marketing strategies for service organisations. Issues about creating value, establishing links between market orientation and performance, impact of leadership and social responsibility, and creating competitive advantage through assets and capabilities are discussed. In Chapter 7, the attention is turned to the importance of managing service characteristics (Intangibility, Inseparability, Inconsistency, Inability to store and own) in a global environment.

The theme of Part III is “Delivering value through the actual service experience”. Chapter 8 deals with the differences in customer needs in traditional and electronic services. Chapter 9 deals with the importance of service innovation for the economy as a whole and examines the role of innovation culture, the use of cross‐functional teams, and the importance of understanding the market adoption process. Chapter 10 examines three elements (people, process and physical evidence) that directly contribute towards the customer's service experience. Chapter 11 concentrates on the three Ps (Place Promotion and Price) that help an organisation to differentiate an organisation's from its competitors. Chapter 12 focuses on implementing the marketing plans, determining performance and controlling the marketing effort.

The text is well supported by 115 exhibits (figures and tables) and 72 service practice vignettes containing real life examples that illustrate concepts covered in the text. Five guiding principles discussed are an organisation's market orientation, its assets and capabilities, the characteristics of services, internationalisation in the service sector, and value created in the actual service experience. This book with a strong European focus is a useful addition to the few books on services marketing.