Chapter 2

Preliminary Concepts of Service

Seeking a Definition of Service

The starting point for a science is the definition of the subject under study. In the case of service science, this definition requires clarification because the explanation of service itself does not have a universal acceptance. Unfortunately, the conventional definitions of service are misleading and inadequate.

We seek a definition of service that makes sense to a modeler of ­service. A model begins with a definition of a system. A modeler must have a scientific basis for identifying the structure and process of the ­system under study. These basic elements of a model are derived from a knowledge of the essential purpose of the system and the scientific understanding ...

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