Balancing conceptual and applied coverage of all aspects of the management and operation of services, this book has maintained the position as market leader through four previous editions. It is the most comprehensive and widely used introduction to service operations on the market, written by one of the top authorities on the subject and is designed to develop students' skills in both strategic and operational issues pertaining to services. New material on service out-sourcing highlights the importance of supply chain issues with services. In addition, discussion on the balanced scorecard and Six Sigma gives students the latest, most wide-ranging techniques for ensuring quality and evaluating long-term strategy planning. Coverage spans both qualitative and quantitative aspects of service management and offers flexibility in courses offering widely varying approaches to the study of service operations. The ancillary package includes student CD-ROM and Website that includes self-test quizzes, video clips, ServiceModel Software, and the Mortgage Service Game.