CONTENTS : Preface to the Second Edition vii Preface to the First Edition ix List of Perspectives xix List of Additional Casesxxi 1. Prelude to the Seven P's of Services Marketing 1 An Introduction to Services2 What Are Services?2 Fastest Growing Services4 Classifying Services8 STP, or the Strategic Aspects of Services Marketing9 Segment Selection or Targetting a faw Segments 13 Mini Case 1: Tata Infotech Refocusses on the Corporate Segment14 Positioning for the Selected Segments 15 Role of Marketing Research 18 Increasing use of CRM and Data Mining20 Search, Experience and Credence Attributes22 Services Marketing Environment in India23 Ethics in Services Marketing24 Discussion Questions25 Case Study 1: A Questionnaire to Assess Global Competitiveness in Service industries26 Case Study 2: Service Brands: A Case Study of Xanadu Building the Brand Equity of a New Training Institution27 Case Study 3: The Annapoorna Dabbawalla Company Ltd. (ADC)30 Case Study 4: Kadavu Resorts37 2. Product- The First P 40 Introduction to the Seven P's (7P's)45 Service Product46 Service Products: Bundled wiih Conventional Products and Standalone53 Service Life Cycle54 Service Design: A General Framework56 Service Quality: The Parasuraman, Berry and Zeithaml Models 57 Customisation versus Standardisation63 Defects, Failures and Recovery64 Service Guarantees: Do They Work? 64 Service Level Agreements 56 Mini Case 1: Hanuman Motor Company: The Case of an Automobile Dealer 68 Mini Case 2: Branding of ING Vysya Bank and the Group70 Mini Case 3: Innovative Service Products: The Case of IIMK's e-MEP70 Discussion Questions71 Cast Study 1: IClCI Rank72 Ctue Study 2: India Post Amidst Competitive Times108 3Place- The Second P 114 Location115 Has the Internet Made Location a Redundant Variable? 118 Transcending Physical Constraints of Location 120 Channel Management Issues 122 The Strategic Role of 'Point of Sale' Terminals in Credit Cards/Debit Cards 123 Mini Caie 1: Mutual Funds that have Distribution Arms Do Well125 Discussion Questions 125 Case Study 1: E-Choupal Initiative of ITC126 Cast Study 2: Finding the Right Path for Pathfinder130 4. Promotion- The Third P 135 Promotion Objectivea 136 Promotjon Plan 138 Timing the Promotions: A Promotion Life Cycle 144 Advertising Spends of Banks in India: A Rising Graph145 Trends: Increasing Use of Below- the- line Media or Sale Promotion 145 Special Considerations in Promotion of Services146 Mini Case 1: ICICI Bank 151 Mini Case 2: Kerala Tourism: God's Own Country?151 Discussion Questions 152 Case Study 1:Regal Multiplex 153 5. Price- The Fourth P 157 Pricing a Service Product 158 Demand Variations, Capacity Constraints 159 Segmentation 160 Pricing of Financial Services161 Pricing in Hyper-competitive Sectors 162 Psychology of Pricing163 Fixed Versus Floating Prices in financial Services 165 Pricing Information Technology (IT) Services 165 Mini Case 1: Pricing a Courier Service165 Mini Case 2: Dropping Prices, the New Challenge for India's IT Sector?166 Mini Case 3: Barista's New Brew 166 Yield Management and its Strategic Levers''168 Discussion Questions 169 Case Study 1: From Bean to Barista171 6. People-The Fifth P 175 People- The Key to a Service Business 176 Recruiting Employees 176 The HR function in Services 179 Motivation on the Job180 The Move Towards Vlaue-Added Jobs 183 Measuring Productivity of People in Service Organisations 183 Mini Case 1: Skyway Airlines: People Problems185 Mini Case 2: Are Technical Skills Enough?186 Mini Case 3: Skills Needed by IT Firm's Employees186 Training or Employees189 Discussion Questions 190 Case Study 1: Fair 'n' Beautiful Pvt. Ltd. 192 Case Study 2: Protech BPO 197 7. Phsical Evidence- The Sixth P 202 Servicescapes 203 Designed for Employees and for Customers 203 The Imporiante of Design 204 Discussion Questions 206 Case Study 1: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation 207 Illustrative Case Study 1: Using SERVQUAL Scale Illustrative Case Study 2: A Study of Education Service Providers 8. Process - The Seventh P 214 The Customer's Point of View 215 Blueprinting 215 Technology - A Boon or Bane 216 Managing the Waiting Process 219 Use of Information Technology (IT), Offering Greater Choice 220 A Major Service Process: Complaints Management and Service Recovery 221 Order Taking and Order Fulfillment: Two Major Processes 223 Summary 224 Discussion Questions 226 Case Study 1: e-CRM at ATI 227 Case Study 2: Adonis Mobile Hair Dressers 231 9. Integrated Service Steategy 237 Growth Strategies for Service Businesses 238 Quality Strategies for Service Players 241 Customer Satisfaction Measures and Their Use in Improving Service Performance 242 Service Profit Chain - Linking Employee Satisfaction and Customer Satiafaction to Company Profits 245 Strategy for Market Leaders 246 Strategies for Challengers 247 Strategies for Followers 247 Strategies for Niche Marketers 248 Service Performence Metrics 248 Innovation, the Last Frontier? 249 Discussion Questions 249 Case Study 1: Who Needs IT Products? Service are Supreme 250 Case Study 2: Satyam Moves into Consulting 252 Case Study 3: 'Desi' Innovators inIT: Studies of Andale and Pacsoft 254 Case Study 4: From an NBFC to a Bank: Kotak Mahindra's Strategic Shift 256 Case Study 5: Indian Railways at Crossroads 260 Case Study 6: Phony Software 267 Case Study 7: General Electric Company 277 Case Study 8: Jet Airways - A Service Marketing 282 10. Globalisation of Service 290 Globalisation and India 291 Five Stages of Globalisation 295 Standardisation Versus Customisation 297 Managing Employees/Partners in the Process of Globalisation 297 Discussion Questions 301 Case Study 1: Factors Determining India's Global Competitiveness 302 Case Study 2: The BPO Industry 304 11. Retailing in India and Around the World 312 Introduction 313 Skill Neede for Organised Retailing 313 Reading 1: Modernisation in Indian Retailing: Managerial and Policy Perspectives 314 Reading 2: Developing Profitable Shopping Malls 327 Discussion Questions 334 Case Study 1: Charnock City Supermarket 336 Case Study 2: Coffee, Tea, or Me? 341 Case Study 3: Indian Foods.com - A Services Marketing Case Study on Online Food Retailing 345 Case Study 4: Urbane: The Retailing Enigma 353 12. Custor RelaTionship Management (CRM) 356 Concept of CRM 357 CRM Issues 358 Customer Value 359 CRM Objectives 363 Implementing CRM 363 CRM: Global Perspectives from Researchers and Practitioners 365 CRM in the the Airline Sector 366 Why is there an Increase in CRM in India, and Why Now? 366 What to do before Going One-to-One? The Prerequisites 367 CustomerRetention is not Enough 367 Discussion Questions 373 Bibliography 443 Sample Course Outline for Teaching Services Marketing 445 Index 449