Managing Service Quality

Managing Service Quality

Managing Service Firms

Based on a conceptual analysis of marketing texts, particularly service marketing texts, and a case study of a service firm that utilizes approaches to managing organizations that have been developed within the boundaries of marketing, this book presents a critical examination of marketing as a managerial practice. Skålén focuses in particular on the managerial research tradition and managerial practice referred to as service marketing (sometimes service management), which is seen as a ‘dominant managerial logic’ by many marketing scholars. Skålén analyzes the governmentality of service marketing through textual representations of managerial marketing and a case study of a service organization. Based on the former, the author argues that managerial marketing has always promoted and fostered customer orientation as the main governmental rationality and that this rationality in service marketing targets human beings more exclusively than previously. This book contributes to critical marketing research since this research tradition lacks studies of empirical responses to managerial marketing which articulate a radical social critique.

Managing Service Operations

`Bill Hollins continues his practical investigation of design in the service sector. In this new book with Sadie Shinkins, he provides a down to earth approach to an important topic in the field′ - Naomi Gornick, Honorary Professor, University of Dundee Guiding readers through each stage in the design and implementation of service operations, this book combines lively examples that are easy to relate to with clearly explained theory. Throughout, chapters contain pedagogical features that will help students to get the most from the ideas and examples being presented in the book. They include: - Chapter objectives; - Short cases; - Student exercises; - Chapter summaries; - Further reading section; - A glossary of key terms.