COMM 3410

Intangible services play an increasingly important role in the global economy, and most especially in the economies of developed countries. Yet, business school curriculae have customarily emphasized the marketing of tangible products in consumer and industrial markets. A basic premise of the elective course is that services (versus tangible goods) share a number of attributes that present unique challenges for marketing. The course seeks to prepare students to face those challenges. It is ideal for students who wish to work in a service industry (e.g., banking, insurance, travel, hospitality, consulting) or in a service capacity in the manufacturing sector (e.g., sales, customer relations). Emphasis will be placed on understanding the distinctive characteristics of services, the implications of these distinctions for marketing, the role of service quality as a determinant of customer satisfaction, and the measurement of these phenomena. Examples will be drawn from North American and European service industries.