TY - JOUR

T1 - Services, products and the institutional structure of production

AU - Araujo, L M

AU - Spring, M

PY - 2006

Y1 - 2006

N2 - This paper revisits the product–service distinction from an institutional perspective. Much of the literature in marketing and management has focused on the intrinsic characteristics of services with a view to derive implications for the management of service-based firms. Our key argument is that the quest for foundational differences between products and services is misguided. What counts as a product or a service is dependent on the nature of producer–user interactions and the institutional structure of production rather than on any essentialist feature of products or services. Furthermore, we develop the argument that services play an increasingly important role in manufacturing firms and we explore the reasons that underpin this trend.

AB - This paper revisits the product–service distinction from an institutional perspective. Much of the literature in marketing and management has focused on the intrinsic characteristics of services with a view to derive implications for the management of service-based firms. Our key argument is that the quest for foundational differences between products and services is misguided. What counts as a product or a service is dependent on the nature of producer–user interactions and the institutional structure of production rather than on any essentialist feature of products or services. Furthermore, we develop the argument that services play an increasingly important role in manufacturing firms and we explore the reasons that underpin this trend.

KW - Product and service definitions; Tradability of services; Manufacturing move into services

U2 - 10.1016/j.indmarman.2006.05.013

DO - 10.1016/j.indmarman.2006.05.013

M3 - Journal article

VL - 35

SP - 797

EP - 805

JO - Industrial Marketing Management

JF - Industrial Marketing Management

SN - 0019-8501

IS - 7

ER -