SERVICES MARKETING,This is a comprehensive textbook designed to meet the requirements of MBA students in Indian business schools. It deals with the marketing of services as a separate discipline as distinct from conventional business marketing. It presents its core concepts, and elucidates them through managerial applications. The book provides in-depth coverage of themes unique to the understanding of the subject. Among important topics discussed are: the elements of the marketing mix (people and the physical evidence of a service), the gap between expected and perceived service, customers role in service delivery, special pricing methods for services, strategies in managing marketing efforts, services marketing mix, approaches to services pricing, services delivery and measuring of service quality, market research for services, and the impact of service tax on marketing. It pays special attention to issues and challenges faced by Indian companies in the areas of expanded services marketing mix, the central role of perception, qualitative understanding of consumer behaviour and its applications in services marketing, and maintenance of service quality. Readers will find this book extremely useful for its numerous illustrative examples, as well as the applications of theoretical concepts explained through several caselets, illustrations, and flowcharts.