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A g
 is the non-material equivalent of a good. 
 
g has been defined as an
economic activity that does not result in ownership, and this is what differentiates it from
providing physical goods. It is claimed to be a process that creates benefits by facilitating either
a change in customers, a change in their physical possessions, or a change in their intangible
assets.

 

A process is a particular method of operation or a series of actions, typically involving multiple

steps that often need to take place in a defined sequence. Service processes range from
relatively simple procedures involving only a few steps, such as filling a car's tank with fuel, to
highly complex activities, such as transporting passengers on an international flight. V

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Ywo broad categories of things get processed in services: people and objects. By looking at
service processes from a purely operational perspective, we see that they can be categorized
into four broad groups. Each category involves fundamentally different processes, with vital
implications for marketing, operations, and human resource managers. We refer to the
categories as people processing, possession processing, mental stimulus processing, and
information processing. V
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V 

V Since ancient times, people have sought services directed at them: V
being transported, fed, lodged, restored to health, or made to look more beautiful. Yo receive
these types of services, customers must physically enter the service system. Because they are
an integral part of the process, they cannot obtain the benefits they desire by dealing at arm's
length with service suppliers; instead they must be prepared to spend time interacting and
actively cooperating with service providers. V

 V 

V Often, customers ask a service organization to provide treatment
to a physical possession, which could be anything from a house to a computer or even a dog.
Customers are less physically involved with this type of service than with people processing
services. In most possession-processing services, the customer's involvement is limited to
dropping off the item that needs treatment, requesting the service, explaining the problem, and
later returning to pick up the item and pay the bill. V
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V Services that interact with people's minds include education, V
news and information, professional advice, psychotherapy, entertainment, and certain religious
practices. Anything touching the people's minds has the power to shape attitudes and influence
behavior. Yherefore, if customers are in apposition of dependency or if there is potential for
manipulation, strong ethical standards and careful monitoring are required. Yhe core content of
all services of this category is information based whether its music, voice, or visual images.
Yherefore, such services can easily be converted to digital format, recorded, and made
available for subsequent replay through electronic channels or transformed into a
manufactured product, such as a disk or a tape. V
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V Information is the most intangible form of service output, but it
may be transformed into the more enduring, tangible forms, represented by letters, reports,
books, tapes, or disks. Among the services that are highly dependent on effective collection and
processing of information are financial and professional services, such as accounting, law,
market research, management consulting, and medical diagnosis. V