Interactive Services Marketing (Hm Business College Titles) Book

The Second Edition covers the essentials of services marketing—with particular emphasis on the theater model and the impact of technology. Since a service is intangible, services marketing centers mainly on interactivity and, as a result, this textbook features a dynamic approach to human interactions—both in face-to-face communication as well as connecting through technology. Concise coverage of content enables instructors to make greater use of the textbook web site, reinforcing the emphasis on technology and allowing students to interact with both the printed text and the online material. In addition, the theater continues to act as a model for the industry by encouraging students to compare service workers to actors, customers to audience members, the business to the backstage, and the service environment to the actual stage.In response to reviewers' comments, the authors have streamlined this text to five parts by moving or consolidating chapters from the previous edition. The titles for both parts and chapters have also been changed to better reflect the content. Plus, updated pedagogical tools continue to help students synthesize the material: each part opens with an overview, a new model illustrating the text's organization, brief chapter outlines, and a vignette highlighting real-world companies such as Noggintoppers (an online hat retailer). Each chapter also features a short paragraph revisiting the vignette, marginal notes defining key terms, a Summary and Conclusion section, practice exercises, and new Internet exercises.New! Updated research topics include employee citizenship and adaptability, customer rage, secondary data, and external environment. New! Eighty percent of the advertisements and photos that appear in the text have been replaced with more current and timely examples of services marketing. New! A marginal icon appears 2-3 times per chapter, alerting students to the Knowledgebank on the textbook web site. The Knowledgebank provides more in-depth coverage of concepts featured in the chapters.New! Taking the Show on the Road features, contributed by specialists from across the globe, appear at the end of each part to illustrate how international companies and organizations deal with services marketing issues. New! At the end of each chapter, an Internet Exercise prompts students to go online and research various topics from the chapter.New! Over 70% of the Spotlights have been updated, highlighting current companies and organizations in relation to services marketing. At the back of the textbook, students can explore the Careers Appendix, featuring career options and other information for services marketers, and the Glossary of key terms.Read More