Services Marketing: People, Technology, Strategy (Eighth Edition)

Personally, I think this is the best services marketing book out there. The 2016 edition is particularly excellent because so much has changed in the services landscape between now and any of the earlier published books by any authors. I think services marketing is in the tier of digital/social media marketing in its need to be taught with texts and readings absolutely current and timely. Additionally, I see almost everything as a service exchange--and this book does a wonderful job of delineating traditional service industries, incorporating and explaining ones newly perceived as services (e.g. software as a service), it melds some tenets of service dominant logic with a classic view, and it lays out the modern landscape of services. It gets into deep theoretical concepts without jargon. The author of this edition and his late co-author (Lovelace) of the former editions are well-cited scholars in the services marketing field. Lovelace's groundwork from the earlier editions is still here in Wirtz's updated edition. Their theoretical conceptualizations are given in a down-to-Earth manner, along with examples of theoretical advances from many other scholars. At the same time the text clearly shows how these insights can be incorporated into a managerial toolkit for real change in a service culture top-down and bottom-up. I am excited to impart this view of services marketing to the next generation of MBAs. This edition is with World Scientific Publishers. In an agreement with the author, they agreed to a low price for the US of the Kindle version and also the softcover is available at a price that is much lower than that of other text books. As marketers we realize that low price can influence quality perception. In this case it should influence SERVICE perception. The text is excellent, by leading minds in the services field, there are cases galore, it's great reading, and a full suite of instructor resources is available. It's written in a manner that allows each chapter to stand alone, so a course can be taught in order of the concepts you choose. I used this book to learn services marketing in the first place, and now I'm using it as a professor to teach it. I recommend it enthusiastically. I did not receive remuneration of any kind for this review, nor for adopting the text. I bought the text myself for myself and value it highly. As a final note, this book in Kindle and soft cover is a wonderfully low price point for students. That is a great example of a services marketing move by the publishers and author from my standpoint as a professor. Students who have a good textbook from which to read make class much better, and many more students buy the book when it's affordable. Also, considering my class is a service to my students in the new services landscape way of thinking of higher education, it's win-win services marketing all around. I find this a great object lesson. As an addendum, the author and publishing staff are available by email and very responsive. Excellent textbook and service experience all around. I recommend this highly as both a student and professor of services marketing.

This practical guide by Jochen Wirtz gives me the specific advice and tools I need to build my business profitably. I receive so many quick fix marketing and advertising offers from businesses who say they can help me build my business, but none of them explain the simple truth this guide does. The simple truth I’ve learned from this book is that marketing or advertising campaigns won’t work unless I get the basics right. The basics that are clearly explained in detail in this book. I find the examples of how successful companies have used this guide really useful too as I can picture how I can incorporate what they’ve done into my business. I find the best approach for me to apply this strategy to my business is to read a section each week (or two), rather than reading straight through in one session, and then applying what I’ve learned in that week. This way I find that I am able to make step-by-step manageable changes while I build my business.

buen producto!!

This new edition is updated, very well written, easy to understad but at the same time deep enough for a mor serius learning.

The quality of paper was a bit low. But overall good book. Thanks Amazon

It is a very good and updated knowledge about new service concept.

Love the book

The number of nations whose GDP is primarily dependent on services is well documented, led by those earlier classified as “industrialized,” e.g., United States, Great Britain, Germany, Japan, France, etc.. Nonetheless, too many otherwise seasoned business and marketing professionals, as well as university marketing graduates, lack necessary understanding of concepts and principles that apply in wide-ranging service businesses. We continue to suffer collectively from insufficient services marketing acumen that greatly impacts long-term success in the service sector. Hence the importance of outstanding services marketing sources for academic and professional application.Numerous services marketing texts have been published in various editions since the late 1980s, but very few today approach the depth and quality of Services Marketing: People, Technology, Strategy, 8th edition, 2016 by primary author Jochen Wirtz, that honors the memory of services marketing luminary Christopher Lovelock, who was first author of earlier editions. It is a superbly researched and comprehensive work, witnessed by the extraordinary list of acknowledgements of contributions by global colleagues. It presents a well-developed managerial and global perspective, organization and inclusive content that make it the exemplar among services marketing texts that should well serve both professional and advanced academic needs.The introductory chapter (Creating Value in the Service Economy) provides a well-conceived framework for understanding and applying service principles and concepts that follow. The well-developed chapters, organized in five sections, are introduced by clear graphic roadmaps, restructured and expanded learning outcomes, and content supported by vivid Service Insight examples, technology applications, an excellent selection of case studies, together with rich and expanded endnotes. Its the premier services marketing source for university marketing faculty, advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and marketing professionals.Merlin SimpsonProfessor EmeritusPacific Lutheran University

Buena presentación, era lo que esperaba.

I do not have to underline the solid contents of the book, practical for students (and teachers) and well documented. Service Marketing has proved to be a good purchase.BUT I do have some serious issues with it.It is a shame how little inclusive and diverse the pictures are - and how unnecessary they often are. They all carry the signature of big image banks. In 2016, diversity has fortunately become a topic but the authors do not seem to have noticed that society is changing.Although it may seem a detail, it may be more than that - and that would be a serious problem. Throughout the book white, young, elegant people when depicted as managers and customers are overrepresented (and the men are pictured bigger than the ladies - read Goffman!), and so are strong and stereotypical young men when posing as gardener or mechanic. Seriously?Secondly, while recent evolutions as Transformative Customer Research and Transformative Service Research - and basically, issues related to the messy, not-so-glamourous world - are all absent, one wonders how it is possible that young marketers and service managers are not able to develop interesting and sustainable new approaches.Service marketing does the job when in the hands of critical readers, but may maintain a vision of a rich, smooth, white world - which is a shame and a drawback in a world that is facing serious problems.

It takes time to read this book. But it is a great book on Services marketing. After having done a course in MBA and read uncommon services, when I wanted to brush up, I took this book. However it was a long, very very dedicated discussion on services marketing which I will keep as a reference.Go ahead and spend your money on it.

This is an updated book, full of examples and well written. However, it may be too much theory for an undergraduate course (even if used for a speciality course such as Service marketing). You may have to remove some content if you do not want to loose half of your class! :)

The book is amazing, detailed and with a plenty of case studies. Perfect!